Trump is back in contact with Steve Bannon and ‘asking him how to overturn election’

Steve Bannon was considered one of the main architects of Trump’s 2016 campaign

Donald Trump is reportedly back in touch with his former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who he has been speaking to several times over the phone in recent weeks, seeking advice on how to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential elections.

Mr Bannon is considered one of the main architects of Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and had joined him as an adviser in the White House after the elections. He quit the position in August 2017 after a turbulent period at the White House. Mr Bannon subsequently fell from the good books of the president due to a controversy related to his book.

The president had infamously said in a tweet that Mr Bannon has been “dumped like a dog by almost everyone.”

Bloomberg News reported on Thursday that the president has spoken to him to ask about ways of overturning his election defeat, though it is not clear how many times the two have spoken.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the news report said that the president is seeking allies who will tell him what he wants to hear about the election which he claims was stolen from him.  

Mr Trump is increasingly finding himself isolated after an unprecedented second impeachment triggered by violence unleashed by this supporters, egged on by the president himself, at the Capitol building. 

In 2018, Mr Trump’s lawyers had threatened legal action against Mr Bannon after accusing him of violating a non-disclosure clause by speaking about his experience during the Trump election campaign to author Michael Wolff.

Though Mr Bannon has not been in a position of favour with Mr Trump’s administration since his departure in 2017, he has reportedly been trying to build bridges with him.  

During Mr Trump’s first impeachment, Mr Bannon had started a podcast where he and other supporters of the president publicly defended him.  

He used the podcast for defending Mr Trump on several issues, including the Trump administration’s response to Covid-19, something that has been criticised by many.  

In August 2020, Mr Bannon was arrested in a case of fraud related to raising money for a campaign to build the US-Mexico border wall. Authorities had alleged that Mr Bannon and others used the money collected for their personal purpose, a charge he has denied.