Career Timeline of Steve Bannon: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Steve Bannon built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Stephen Kevin Bannon is an American media executive, political strategist, and former investment banker. He gained prominence as the executive chairman of Breitbart News, a far-right news and opinion website. Bannon served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of Donald Trump's presidency, playing a key role in shaping Trump's nationalist and populist agenda. After leaving the White House, he continued to promote right-wing political movements both in the United States and internationally. Bannon's career has been marked by controversy, due to his association with alt-right ideologies and his promotion of nationalist policies.
1977: Joined United States Navy
In 1977, Bannon became an officer in the United States Navy.
1980: Deployed to Persian Gulf
In 1980, Bannon was deployed to the Persian Gulf to assist with Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis.
1983: End of Military Service
In 1983, Bannon completed his service in the United States Navy.
1983: Left United States Navy
In 1983, Bannon left the United States Navy after serving as an officer. He then worked for two years at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker.
1987: Relocated to Los Angeles
In 1987, Bannon relocated from New York to Los Angeles to assist Goldman Sachs in expanding their presence in the entertainment industry.
1990: Launched Bannon & Co.
In 1990, Bannon and several colleagues from Goldman Sachs launched their own company Bannon & Co., a boutique investment bank specializing in media.
1991: Executive Producer of Hollywood Films
From 1991, Bannon was an executive producer on 18 Hollywood films.
1991: Produced The Indian Runner
In 1991, Bannon produced Sean Penn's drama The Indian Runner.
1993: Acting Director of Biosphere 2
In 1993, Bannon became the acting director of the research project Biosphere 2.
1995: Left Biosphere 2 Project
In 1995, Bannon left the Biosphere 2 project.
1998: Société Générale Purchased Bannon & Co.
In 1998, Société Générale purchased Bannon & Co.
2002: Partner at The Firm, Inc.
In 2002, Bannon became a partner with entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz at film and television management company The Firm, Inc.
2004: Made Documentary About Ronald Reagan
In 2004, Bannon made a documentary about Ronald Reagan, In the Face of Evil.
2005: Secured Funding for Internet Gaming Entertainment
In 2005, Bannon secured $60 million in funding from Goldman Sachs and other investors for Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE).
2006: Persuaded Goldman Sachs to Invest in IGE
In 2006, Bannon persuaded Goldman Sachs to invest in Internet Gaming Entertainment.
2007: CEO of Affinity Media
From 2007, Bannon took over as CEO of Affinity Media.
2007: Co-Founded Breitbart News
In 2007, Bannon co-founded Breitbart News, a website.
2007: Development of 'Destroying the Great Satan'
In 2007, Bannon proposed and developed a script for a documentary titled "Destroying the Great Satan: The Rise of Islamic Fascism in America," which centered on the idea of Muslims attempting to take over America.
2007: Founding Board Member of Breitbart News
In 2007, Bannon was a founding board member of Breitbart News, a far-right news, opinion and commentary website.
2007: Wrote Treatment for Documentary
In 2007, Bannon wrote an eight-page treatment for another documentary, Destroying the Great Satan: The Rise of Islamic Facism in America.
2008: Spoke at Liberty Restoration Foundation
In 2008, Bannon spoke about economic crisis.
2010: Financed and Produced Fire from the Heartland
In 2010, Bannon financed and produced the film Fire from the Heartland: The Awakening of the Conservative Woman.
2010: Generation Zero Film
In 2010, Bannon spoke about his films Generation Zero.
2011: Financed and Produced The Undefeated
In 2011, Bannon financed and produced the film The Undefeated.
2011: Spoke at Liberty Restoration Foundation
In 2011, Bannon spoke at the Liberty Restoration Foundation in Orlando, Florida, about the economic crisis of 2008.
2011: Chair and CEO of Affinity Media
Through 2011, Bannon was the chair and CEO of Affinity Media.
March 2012: Executive Chairman of Breitbart News
In March 2012, following the death of Breitbart News founder Andrew Breitbart, Bannon became executive chairman of Breitbart News LLC.
2012: Financed and Produced Occupy Unmasked
In 2012, Bannon financed and produced the film Occupy Unmasked.
2012: Release of The Hope & The Change
In 2012, Bannon's documentary film The Hope & The Change was released, consciously imitating Riefenstahl's film The Triumph of the Will (1935), which depicted the Nuremberg Rally held in 1934.
2012: Co-founded Government Accountability Institute
In 2012, Steve Bannon co-founded the Government Accountability Institute, a tax-exempt organization. He served as executive chair and helped orchestrate the publication of Peter Schweizer's book, Clinton Cash. He remained with the organization until August 2016.
2014: Bannon Criticizes Wall Street at Vatican Conference
In 2014, Steve Bannon criticized Wall Street for its role in the 2008 financial crisis during a conference at the Vatican.
2015: Received between $81,000 and $100,000 from the Government Accountability Institute
In 2015, Bannon received between $81,000 and $100,000 from the Government Accountability Institute for his work with the organization.
August 14, 2016: Joined Trump Campaign
On August 14, 2016, Steve Bannon joined then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign, a move he later stated he'd "always planned on spending one year" doing.
August 2016: Departure from Government Accountability Institute
In August 2016, Steve Bannon departed from the Government Accountability Institute after serving as executive chair and co-founder since 2012.
August 17, 2016: Appointed Chief Executive of Trump Campaign
On August 17, 2016, Bannon was appointed chief executive of Donald Trump's presidential campaign, leaving Breitbart, the Government Accountability Institute, and Cambridge Analytica.
2016: CEO of Trump's Presidential Campaign
In 2016, Bannon became the chief executive officer of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and was appointed chief strategist and senior counselor to the president following Trump's election.
2016: Declared Website as Platform for the Alt-Right
In 2016, Bannon declared the website "the platform for the alt-right".
2016: Bannon Describes Breitbart News as Platform for Alt-Right
In 2016, Bannon described Breitbart News as "the platform for the alt-right". In the mid-2010s, Bannon was a vice president of Cambridge Analytica.
2016: Involvement with Cambridge Analytica
In 2016, Bannon served as vice president of the board of Cambridge Analytica, a data-analytics firm. He oversaw the collection of Facebook data allegedly used to target American voters. Bannon's stake in the company was estimated at $1–5 million.
January 2017: Designated as Regular Attendee to NSC Principals Committee
In January 2017, Bannon's position was designated as a regular attendee to the National Security Council's (NSC) Principals Committee, a move that was criticized by members of previous administrations.
April 2017: Sold stake in Cambridge Analytica
In April 2017, Bannon sold his stake in Cambridge Analytica, estimated at $1–5 million, upon joining the Trump administration.
April 2017: Removed from NSC Role
In early April 2017, Bannon was removed from his role in the NSC during a reorganization by H. R. McMaster.
August 4, 2017: Resignation Notice
On August 4, 2017, Steve Bannon stated that he submitted his two-week resignation notice from his position, though some sources indicated he was asked to resign.
August 2017: Declared global populist movement
In August 2017, after leaving the White House, Steve Bannon declared his intention to become "the infrastructure, globally, for the global populist movement".
August 18, 2017: Returned as Executive Chairman
On August 18, 2017, Breitbart announced that Bannon would return as executive chairman following his period of employment at the White House.
October 2017: Plans to sponsor primary challenges
In October 2017, Steve Bannon announced plans to sponsor primary challenges against six of the seven incumbent Republican senators in the 2018 elections who he deemed insufficiently supportive of Trump's agenda.
October 2017: Visited Freedom Party of Austria
In October 2017, Steve Bannon visited the Freedom Party of Austria as part of his tour of Europe to speak at events with various far-right political parties.
December 2017: Visited UK Conservative Party
In December 2017, Steve Bannon visited the UK Conservative Party as part of his tour of Europe to speak at events with various far-right political parties.
2017: Founded The Movement
In 2017, Steve Bannon founded The Movement, a populist organization that promotes right-wing populist groups in Europe and opposes the EU government and George Soros's Open Society Foundations.
2017: Bannon Opposed Shayrat Missile Strike
In 2017, Steve Bannon opposed the Shayrat missile strike while serving as White House chief strategist.
2017: Roy Moore Lost Senate Election
In 2017, former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Roy Moore, despite Bannon's support, lost the United States Senate election in Alabama to Democrat Doug Jones, questioning Bannon's reputation as a political strategist.
January 9, 2018: Stepped Down as Executive Chairman
On January 9, 2018, five months after his appointment, Bannon stepped down as executive chairman of Breitbart. The billionaire funders of Breitbart, Robert and Rebekah Mercer, reportedly decided to push Bannon out from Breitbart.
January 2018: Disavowed by Trump and Left Breitbart
In January 2018, after his criticism of Trump's children was reported in Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury, Bannon was disavowed by Trump and subsequently left Breitbart.
February 2018: Bannon Comments on Election Strategy
In February 2018, Steve Bannon told journalist Michael Lewis that the 2016 election was won on "Drain the Swamp, Lock Her Up, Build a Wall" and that anger and fear get people to the polls. He also stated the media is the real opposition.
March 2018: Populist Pep Talk to National Front
In March 2018, Bannon gave a "populist pep talk" to members of the French right-wing populist National Front (NF), encouraging them to embrace labels like "racist" and "xenophobe" as badges of honor.
July 2018: Bannon Urged Johnson to Challenge May
In July 2018, Steve Bannon urged Boris Johnson to challenge Prime Minister Theresa May. He was in contact with Johnson during his visit to Britain that month.
July 2018: Visited Spain's Vox and the Finns Party
In July 2018, Steve Bannon visited Spain's Vox and the Finns Party as part of his effort to build a network of right-wing populist-nationalist parties.
August 2018: Met Eduardo Bolsonaro
In August 2018, Steve Bannon met with Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of Jair Bolsonaro, and served as informal advisor to the Bolsonaro campaign in the Brazilian presidential elections.
August 2018: Visited Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
In August 2018, Steve Bannon visited Republika Srpska's Alliance of Independent Social Democrats as part of his effort to build a network of right-wing populist-nationalist parties.
September 2018: Visited Italian League and Polish Law and Justice
In September 2018, Steve Bannon visited the Italian League and the Polish Law and Justice party as part of his effort to build a network of right-wing populist-nationalist parties.
2018: Plans to Unite Populist Parties Across Europe
In 2018, Bannon announced plans to launch a new political operation to unite populist parties across Europe before the 2019 European Parliament election.
2018: Released Pro-Trump Documentary
In 2018, Bannon released a pro-Trump documentary, Trump @War, through his production company, Victory Films, to galvanize Trump supporters ahead of the 2018 elections.
2018: Planned right-wing academy
In 2018, Steve Bannon announced that he planned to establish a right-wing academy at Trisulti Charterhouse in Italy, with the support of Benjamin Harnwell.
February 2019: Bolsonaro joined Bannon's organization
In February 2019, Eduardo Bolsonaro joined Steve Bannon's organization the Movement as its representative in South America.
March 2019: Met with Bolsonaros in Washington, D.C.
In March 2019, Steve Bannon met with Jair and Eduardo Bolsonaro in Washington, D.C.
May 2019: Visited Five Star Movement
In May 2019, Steve Bannon visited the Five Star Movement as part of his effort to build a network of right-wing populist-nationalist parties.
October 2019: Bannon Co-hosted War Room: Impeachment
In October 2019, Bannon began co-hosting War Room: Impeachment, a daily radio show and podcast, offering advice to the Trump administration on countering the impeachment inquiry.
2019: European Parliament Election
In 2019, Bannon had plans to unite populist parties across Europe before the European Parliament election.
2019: Hosted Bannon's War Room
Since 2019, Bannon has hosted Bannon's War Room on Robert J. Sigg's Real America's Voice television network, podcast platforms, and radio.
2020: Started podcast War Room: Pandemic
In 2020, Bannon began a podcast called War Room: Pandemic, broadcast from his Capitol Hill townhouse. Trump reportedly watched the program and cited specific interviews he had seen when speaking to Bannon.
2020: Bannon Expressed Skepticism About Soleimani Assassination
In 2020, Steve Bannon questioned whether the assassination of Qasem Soleimani was necessary, and warned that escalation with Iran could undermine Trump's support.
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