Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon told a gathering of France’s National Front on Saturday they should accept labels like “xenophobes,” which detractors often associate with them,” and wear them “as a badge of honor.”
Bannon, wearing his typical dress shirt and jacket, brought his brand of populism to the event in the northern French city of Lille, designed to re-energize the right-wing group, led by Marine Le Pen.
“Let them call you racist. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists,” Bannon said. “Wear it as a badge of honor. Because every day, we get stronger, and they get weaker.”
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon speaking to the crowd attending the party congress for France's far-right National Front party: “Let them call you racist. Let them call you xenophobes… wear it as a badge of honor.” https://t.co/veWU4gawYf pic.twitter.com/KnovkuDZXJ— ABC News (@ABC) March 10, 2018
Bannon, who is in the middle of a European tour, received a warm welcome at the conference, getting a standing ovation as he walked onto the stage.
Standing ovation pour Steve Bannon au #CongresFN2018 pic.twitter.com/LI0oFU21eR— BuzzFeed France News (@BuzzFeedNewsFR) March 10, 2018
His wide-ranging speech also touched on President Trump and a warning about technology companies stealing identities.
While there, Bannon met with Le Pen, who had been expected to unveil a new name for the party as it seeks to regroup after Le Pen lost the presidential election to Emmanuel Macron last year. LePen complimented Bannon as being “the architect of Donald Trump’s victory.” Bannon was appointed executive chairman of Trump’s campaign in the final months of the 2016 campaign.
Bannon’s visit to France is part of a European tour. Since the beginning of March, he has also been to Italy and Switzerland pushing populist ideas.
“You’re part of a worldwide movement bigger than France, bigger than Italy,” he told the National Front gathering Saturday.
“History is on our side and will bring us victory,” he also said.
Bannon was a polarizing figure both in the White House and the Trump campaign. Bannon has been accused of embracing white nationalists, among other alt-right affiliated groups, including by the Anti-Defamation League. However, in August of last year, Bannon called white nationalists a bunch of “clowns” amid the fallout from the violent protests in Charlottesville, Va.
Bannon was ousted from the White House that same month, after which he returned to Breitbart News as executive chairman. He left Breitbart in January after incendiary quotes he gave for a tell-all book, Fire and Fury, about the Trump administration were made public.
