Bannon's Firestorm: H1B Visas, Epstein Tapes, and MAGA's Pied Piper cover art

Bannon's Firestorm: H1B Visas, Epstein Tapes, and MAGA's Pied Piper

Bannon's Firestorm: H1B Visas, Epstein Tapes, and MAGA's Pied Piper

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Steve Bannon BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Steve Bannon just grabbed headlines again this week with an incendiary call to end the H1B visa program and immediately expel foreign students after graduation. In back-to-back episodes of his War Room podcast and in multiple media interviews, Bannon insisted no foreign students should be allowed in the US at all, arguing that they edge out American students and that the country should stop “sucking up every piece of talent” from abroad. He’s pitting his view as a nationalist counterpoint to what he derides as “imperial” policies run by globalist elites, often invoking historical references and a populist tone that still clearly resonates in some conservative circles. According to reporting from the Economic Times and Times of India, his message is that after international students get their diplomas, the government should staple on an exit visa, not a green card, and give them just 30 days before they have to leave. This hardline rhetoric has found high-level support; Vice President JD Vance echoed Bannon’s tough talk and publicly scolded tech firms like Microsoft for laying off American workers while still applying for thousands of H1B visas. In a climate of mass tech layoffs and a sour July jobs report, Bannon’s nativist message has new fuel and is sparking debate across the political spectrum.

Beyond the immigration firestorm, Bannon’s name was dragged into the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein saga as House Democrats mulled whether to subpoena him for allegedly holding fifteen hours of unreleased Epstein footage. According to Economic Times and the Daily Beast, lawmakers are demanding access as part of their hunt for Epstein’s ties to influential figures. Bannon reportedly worked on a documentary with Epstein before his arrest, fueling speculation about who has what dirt and whether the footage might see daylight. While no charges or wrongdoing are attached to Bannon here, the political optics are unmistakable.

Public appearances continue, too. Recently, Bannon appeared at the World Economy Summit, where he reignited his feud with Elon Musk, insisting Musk’s agenda is for his own benefit rather than the national interest, and revealed previously unknown West Wing infighting over key Trump administration appointments, a narrative picked up by HuffPost and other outlets. Meanwhile, Bannon holds court at Butterworth’s, the new DC hotspot for MAGA power-brokers, where he’s a familiar presence hosting private events and interviews, leading Monocle magazine to dub him the pied piper of conservative Washington. Despite pundits frequently pronouncing his influence waning, this week proves Bannon remains a lightning rod for controversy and a persistent force in the nation’s most heated political arguments.

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