Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon argued in a new interview that Democrats “want death and destruction” ahead of the U.S. presidential election.
“I think this week is going to be great for the Trump campaign and the RNC [Republican National Committee] and the White House to let the American people see exactly what the [Democratic] policies are,” Bannon told Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo on Sunday.
“[Democrats] want the death of the American economy and the destruction of the American way of life, and I think if that’s highlighted by the end of the week, it’ll smoke Joe Biden out of his basement,” he added, referring to the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
Biden will speak virtually at the Democratic National Convention, which kicks off on Monday, from his home in Delaware later this week.
Bannon was named CEO of President Trump’s faltering campaign in August 2016 and helped help steer it to victory along with current White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway, who served as campaign manager.
Bannon also said on “Sunday Morning Futures” that he believes that progressive speakers including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) at the Democratic convention will only help Trump draw a sharp contrast with Biden.
“I think this is perfect for President Trump,” Bannon said.
“In fact, if I was the campaign or the RNC, I would amplify the messages coming out of this convention and here is why: President Trump won in ’16 because he stood up for America, he stood up for working class and middle class people against a financial and political elite that was driving the managed decline of the United States, and you’re going to see it over the next four days,” he said
“[Democrats will be] talking about more globalization, more economic devastation, now coupled with this kind of undergirding of this cultural Marxism and anarchy of antifa and certain elements of the Black Lives Matter,” he continued. “So I think it’s perfect because this is going to come down to a pretty bold choice between, do you want the America of globalization, do you want the America of Joe Biden and do you want the America of these political and financial elites? Or do you want the America-first economic nationalism and populism of Donald Trump?”
A CNN poll released on Sunday shows Biden holding a 4-point lead over Trump. The same poll last month showed Biden with a 14-point lead.