Steve Bannon, the political strategist who helped guide Donald Trump to the White House, told a crowd of Tucsonans that the president needs their support to fight off groups seeking to undermine the 2016 election.
“President Trump needs your backing now more than ever. This nullification project that is underway, this nullification project that is trying to take away the 2016 victory from the American people and Trump supporters — it has to be stopped,” Bannon said.
“If we allow any one sector of this country to nullify a presidential election, we will doing this for the foreseeable future. Next time we lose, the same thing will happen.”
Bannon was the keynote speaker Saturday night at the Brian Terry Foundation’s benefit dinner and spoke briefly to about 400 people at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa. He received a “courage in journalism” award.
Bannon was a top adviser to Trump at the White House until he resigned in August and returned to Breitbart News, a conservative news website. He was recognized Saturday for Breitbart’s reporting on Fast and Furious, a national scandal in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives lost track of about 1,400 guns.
Two of those weapons ended up in the hands of drug bandits who in 2010 killed Terry, a member of a Border Patrol tactical unit, near the border west of Rio Rico.
The foundation was formed in Terry’s memory and since 2012 has given scholarships to individuals pursuing a career in law enforcement.
At the Tucson dinner, Bannon blamed “the elite globalist apparatus” and multinational corporations for resistance to a massive wall across the U.S.-Mexico border.
He also praised Terry, saying the agent’s death opened the eyes of the American public to the serious problems along the Mexican border.
“(Trump) wouldn’t be president of the United States if not for the incident that happened here. Brian Terry will live in history as a historic figure,” he said.
About 200 protesters were gathered outside the resort on Tucson’s west side. No arrests or serious incidents were reported by police.
John Dodson, a former ATF agent, and Norma Zimdahl, a performer and philanthropist, also were honored by the foundation.
Locally, Bannon has supported Republican Senate candidate Kelli Ward — part of a larger movement in the party to replace established leaders with pro-Trump candidates.
With Sen. Jeff Flake announcing he will not seek another term in the Senate, Ward is the current front-runner, although Rep. Martha McSally is expected to enter the race in the coming days.
On Friday, Flake was recorded saying that the bickering inside the party has become toxic.
“We’ve become the party of Roy Moore and Donald Trump — we’re toast,” he said.
