Once a proxy for Trump, Steve Bannon's falling out raises new questions and conflicts for the base

Before President Trump and Steve Bannon’s relationship publicly soured, Bannon served as something of a proxy for the president. Long depicted in the press as the philosophical mastermind of Trump’s agenda (much to the president’s displeasure), he was a favorable figure with obvious sway among Trump’s elusive base.

In the Alabama Senate race, for instance, it seemed Bannon and Breitbart’s decision to stick with Republican candidate Roy Moore, first in the runoff and then in the general election, made Trump’s base more comfortable doing the same, even amid the president’s endorsement of Luther Strange and later despite allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Moore.