ROME — Italy is the “center of the political universe,” according to former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon.
Speaking to POLITICO during a tour of European capitals, the former aide to Donald Trump called Italy’s League-5Star coalition government an “experiment that, if it works, will change global politics.”
Bannon is in Europe to help ramp up a Brussels-based foundation, named the Movement, which aims to coordinate and advise right-wing populist parties campaigning in next spring’s European Parliament election. Thus far, many of the Continent’s far-right politicians have reacted cautiously to Bannon’s advances.
The former Trump aide said that the Italian government is an experiment in uniting left and right. “A populist party with nationalist tendencies like the 5Stars, and a nationalist party with populist tendencies like the League … it’s imperative that this works because this shows a model for industrial democracies from the U.S. to Asia.”
The Movement — which Bannon describes as a “loose association” of people, not a political party — was established in January of last year by Mischaël Modrikamen, a Brussels lawyer and leader of a small right-wing party. Bannon began promoting it in July.
The League’s Matteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister, has already joined, and during his trip to Rome Bannon also reached out to 5Stars leader Luigi Di Maio. According to two individuals with knowledge of the talks — one a person who has worked with Bannon and another a 5Star MP — Bannon and Di Maio met on Saturday and had a “constructive dialogue.” The 5Stars are yet to decide whether they will endorse the project or not though.
On the face of it, the far-right base of the Movement (Bannon is also in talks with Germany’s far-right…
