Just days after the Colorado Republican Party announced that longtime Trump advisor Steve Bannon would headline its annual fundraising dinner next month, Bannon made international news by concluding his speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) with a Nazi salute. While Bannon denies that he was invoking Hitler, the “wave,” as he called it, was enough to cause the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, which was founded by Nazi collaborators, to cancel his own CPAC speech in protest.
Jordan Bardella was scheduled to speak the following day, but instead issued this statement:
“At this podium yesterday, while I was not present in the room, one of the speakers allowed himself, as a provocation, a gesture referring to Nazi ideology,” said Bardella, “Consequently, I made the immediate decision to cancel my intervention scheduled for this afternoon at the event.”
Bannon does a “roman salute” at the end of his CPAC speech. pic.twitter.com/IbI6PEsQxJ
— Italien Feeld (@julianfeeld) February 21, 2025
French nationalists weren’t the only ones troubled by Bannon’s salute. The Anti-Defamation League posted the following the day after his CPAC speech, and linked to its 2018 memo documenting numerous examples of his extremism.
Steve Bannon’s long and disturbing history of stoking antisemitism and hate, threatening violence, and empowering extremists is well known and well documented by ADL and others.
— ADL (@ADL) February 21, 2025
We are not surprised, but are concerned about the normalization of this behavior.… pic.twitter.com/EA5qBVqkvL
The Colorado Times Recorder reached out to the Colorado Republican Party to inquire if it was similarly troubled by Bannon’s gesture and whether it was going to rescind Bannon’s invitation.
Spokeswoman Darcy Schoening rejected the characterization of Bannon’s gesture as a Nazi salute and stated unequivocally that he will remain the GOP’s keynote speaker.
“This is a ridiculous question,” said Schoening. “The same people assigning racism to the incidental wave of an arm are destructive groomers and political terrorists. Steve Bannon is the bane of the left and a hero of the right … and from there he’s cemented himself as a political leader and influencer. The left’s ongoing attempt to paint conservatives, who are so clearly winning, as racists and Nazis, is getting boring, and the left should find a new grift.
“As someone who is constantly portrayed as an extremist by the media, I want to tell Mr. Bannon that he should be delighted by these ridiculous assertions. When the left is calling you a racist and hurling lies at you, they have lost. As evidenced by their embarrassing loss in the last cycle, the general public is exhausted with the Democrats’ race-baiting and trans-baiting. I have enjoyed speaking with Steve Bannon on War Room in the past, and he has helped me immensely in my fight to save our kids from genital mutilation and sterilization, as well as anti-white racism. I look forward to seeing him again in March, and to the work we will do together to save our children in the new Golden Era-the Trump era.”
The announcement for the Colorado GOP’s gala celebrates Bannon for his fight against the “globalist elite,” specifically praising his support of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who is currently serving a nine-year sentence for multiple felony convictions related to her role in copying and publicly distributing her county’s secure voter data in 2021.
“We are proud to welcome Stephen K. Bannon, host of Bannon’s War Room, a key strategist and unapologetic patriot,” states the announcement. “Bannon has ignited a grassroots uprising, leading the fight to reclaim America from the globalist elite and defending our freedoms. A fierce champion for Tina Peters, Bannon has stood strong in her defense, recognizing the importance of integrity in our elections. His commitment to America First inspires us to honor our past, strengthen our present, and build a future for the Republican Party.”
Bannon, who finished serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress last October, recently pled guilty to felony fraud over his role in the “We Build the Wall” scam, in which he and three other men, including Coloradan Timothy Shea, raised over $20 million from donors with false promises that the nonprofit would spend the money building the southern border wall. Bannon also faced federal charges as well, but President Trump pardoned him as one of the last officials acts of his first term.
Despite, or perhaps because of, his lengthy rap sheet, Bannon remains popular with many Colorado Republicans. Brita Horn, who is challenging Schoening for party chair, posted a photo with Bannon from CPAC.
