You would think that helping elect Trump as president would be achievement enough for the former White House adviser. But Bannon, as Gabriel Sherman reveals in a eye-opening Vanity Fair profile, has an ever bigger goal in mind: becoming president himself. The thought of Bannon, who has no previous political experience, winning the presidency might sound absurd. But after Trump, anything is possible.
One big reason Bannon wants to run is that he feels the Trump revolution has been squashed by the Republican establishment, led by Mitch McConnell. Running for president would be part of a wider program to get Trump-style insurgents to conquer the GOP. In Sherman’s account, Bannon also comes across as an autodidactic know-it-all who hates to play second fiddle. As Sherman reports:
In October, Bannon called an adviser and said he would consider running for president if Trump doesn’t run for re-election in 2020. Which Bannon has told people is a realistic possibility....
While Bannon praised Trump during our conversations—he said he’s the best orator since William Jennings Bryan—he doesn’t deny he was unhappy in the White House. “It was always a job,” he said. “I realize in hindsight I was just a staffer, and I’m not a good staffer. I had influence, I had a lot of influence, but just influence.”
If he becomes president, Bannon will have a lot more than just influence.