Steve Bannon has described Jordan Bardella, leader of the French nationalist National Rally party, as “a little girl and a coward” after he pulled out of the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland.
Bardella announced his withdrawal from the conference after claiming Bannon made a “gesture referring to Nazi ideology” during a speech on Thursday. Bannon was accused of giving a Nazi salute after he extended his right arm out with palm facing out after his address, though he has denied the claim.
Newsweek has contacted CPAC and Jordan Bardella, via the National Rally, using their respective online inquiry forms.
Why It Matters
On January 20 Elon Musk was accused of delivering a fascist salute during an inauguration day event in Washington, D.C. The tech billionaire raised his right arm out from his chest after saying his “heart goes out to you,” though he insisted the gesture was innocent and accused critics of “dirty tricks” on his X social media platform.
Later the Anglican Catholic Church revoked the license of Calvin Robinson, a Michigan priest originally from the U.K., after he repeated the gesture during the National Pro-Life Summit in Washington, D.C., on January 25.
During the 2024 presidential election Democratic candidate Kamala Harris said she believed Trump was a fascist during a CNN town hall, after John Kelly, his former White House chief of staff, described the Republican as someone who “certainly falls into the general definition of fascists.” In response Trump insisted he was “the opposite of a Nazi” and accused Harris of being a fascist in turn.
What To Know
During his address to CPAC on Thursday Bannon said: “We’re not going to retreat, we’re not going to surrender. Fight, fight, fight.” He then raised his right arm out in what critics said was a Nazi or fascist salute, though he rejected the claim.
National Rally leader Bardella, who had been due to speak at CPAC on Friday, pulled out of the event citing what he called a “gesture referring to Nazi ideology.” Bardella, 29, is a member of the European Parliament and has been discussed as a potential future National Rally presidential contender.
Bannon insisted his gesture had been a “wave” and said it was the “exact same wave” he had performed previously while addressing a National Rally conference.
Speaking to French magazine Le Point about Bardella’s speech cancellation he said: “If he canceled over what the mainstream media said about the speech, he didn’t listen to the speech. If that’s true, he’s unworthy to lead France. He’s a boy, not a man.”
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In a separate interview with French network BFM TV, which was shared on X by the “Cerfia” media network, Bannon said: “Jordan Bardella is a little girl and a coward. He will never lead France. He is worse than [President] Macron. I curse him. It was a salute to the crowd.”
The past two French presidential elections saw Emmanuel Macron beat Marine Le Pen, candidate of the National Front that she renamed National Rally, in the runoff.
A number of other foreign politicians spoke at CPAC including former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, Argentine President Javier Milei and Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to speak on Saturday before President Trump.
What People Are Saying
During his CPAC address Bannon suggested Trump could run for a third term in 2028, which would require the U.S. constitution to be amended.
He said: “The future of America is MAGA, OK? And the future of MAGA is Donald J. Trump. We want Trump in ’28. That’s what they can’t stand. A man like Trump comes along only once or twice in a country’s history, right?”
Following Bannon’s address political commentator Brian Krassenstein said: “Steve Bannon does a NAZI salute at the end of his CPAC speech. Someone try and convince me that he didn’t.”
Speaking on his podcast far-right pundit Nick Fuentes said: “Elon threw up a Roman salute. And then the other thing at CPAC…Bannon gets up there and says, ‘I think Trump’s gonna run in ’28.’ He goes, ‘We want Trump,’ and then he throws up a straight-up Roman salute. It’s getting a little uncomfortable, even for me. Even I’m starting to feel like that guy in the picture that wouldn’t hail Hitler.”
What Happens Next
National Rally is hoping to win the 2027 French presidential election and is thus desperate to avoid anything that could be seen as Nazi imagery.
Trump has made a number of recent comments that suggest he is at least interested in running for a third term, though this would require a constitutional amendment that would be near impossible to pass given the Republicans slim majorities in the House and Senate.