Bannon denies making Nazi salute as French far-right leader cancels speech – The Washington Post

Bannon denies making Nazi salute as French far-right leader cancels speech

The gesture comes as Trump and his allies have prompted growing alarm among critics about their embrace of authoritarian messaging and symbols.

February 21, 2025 at 5:14 p.m. EST, Yesterday at 5:14 p.m. EST, 6 min
By Justine McDanieland Patrick Marley

Stephen K. Bannon, an ally of President Donald Trump, made a gesture with his right arm that resembled a Nazi salute while speaking before the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday night, prompting a far-right French leader to pull out of a scheduled appearance at the conference Friday in protest.

Jordan Bardella, a leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, canceled a speech he was set to give at CPAC, citing the gesture as the reason in a statement, Politico reported.

In his statement, Bardella said a CPAC speaker had “allowed himself, as a provocation, to make a gesture referring to Nazi ideology.” He continued, “Therefore, I have taken the immediate decision to cancel my scheduled speaking engagement at the event this afternoon.” A representative for Bardella did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. Bannon told The Post that the gesture was a “wave” and said no when asked by reporters at CPAC whether it was a Nazi salute.

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