Steve Bannon says Australia is a ‘hotbed of populism’ ready for revolution

FORMER Trump strategist Steve Bannon clashed with the ABC’s Sarah Ferguson over racism, saying “bad things will happen” if the West doesn’t confront China.

STEVE Bannon, the man credited with powering Donald Trump to the presidency, has said Australia is turning into a “hotbed of populism” and the “global revolution” he is part of will reach down under.

In a sometimes tense interview with the ABC’s Sarah Ferguson, who at one point said “it’s my turn to ask the questions,” the former White House chief strategist said China saw Australia as a “tributary state” and the populous nation had to be “confronted”.

As for who could challenge Mr Trump in the next presidential election, he said the Democrats should look to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Oprah Winfrey.

Steve Bannon on ABC Four Corners.

Speaking before Americans go to the polls in crucial midterm elections in November, Mr Bannon sat down with Ferguson on ABC’s Four Corners.

He said Australia was on the “front lines” of an economic confrontation with China. But he refused to label US actions to levy tariffs on Chinese goods (and Beijing’s retaliatory actions) as a trade war.

“This is not a trade war, we’re in an economic war with China,” he said. “They always talk about the international rules based order. The Chinese don’t play by any rules. They don’t have any internal rules. It’s a completely totalitarian regime.

“Australia can show you when good and decent people play by the rules and the next thing they look around and many of the economic resources and economic assets of a country are owned by another country, and all of a sudden you start seeing influence operations on their politicians.”

Ferguson put it to Mr Bannon that if the economic tussle between the US and China led to a recession, it would be many of the people who voted for Mr Trump who could lose their jobs. Mr Bannon wasn’t fazed.

“Recessions come and go. I think workers understand and particularly people that back Donald Trump that what he’s trying to do is bring manufacturing jobs back to United States and trying to reset this economy.

“They understand there could be some speed bumps on this and that’s what leadership’s about.”

Sarah Ferguson told Mr Bannon at one point, ‘it’s my turn to ask the questions’.

Mr Bannon explained why he saw Australia and US as “tributary states” to China. “We essentially send natural resources, agriculture products and all Donald Trump is saying is that that’s not the natural law of physics,” he said.

“Donald Trump’s saying is ‘to have a vibrant, robust economy, you have to make things’”.

On China, Mr Bannon said he was a hawk. “Eventually I believe that if this regime is not confronted bad things are going to happen, and I think they have to be confronted now.

“I think (Malcolm) Turnbull has been way too much of an appeaser, and I think that’s not going to turn out well.”

Mr Bannon said Australia’s recent debate on Chinese interference was ahead of similar discussions in the US. “It’s going to play out very interestingly, and I think Australia is at the tip of the spear of this.”

Bannon said the West was in the grips of a “populist nationalist revolt” and Australia was no exception to that.

“I absolutely see Australia is going to be a hotbed of populism. Just knowing the cussedness and grit of the Australian people. This revolution is global … it’s coming to Australia.”

It was an at times terse discussion, particularly when it turned to accusations that Mr Bannon helped legitimise racism at a rally for the French National Front party of Marine La Pen.

Mr Bannon, at one point, was at the heart of Donald Trump’s White House. Picture: AFP

At the rally, he said: “Let them call you racist, let them call you xenophobes, wear it as a badge of honour.”

Bannon repeatedly interrupted Ferguson when she asked him to explain the remarks. Exasperated, she eventually said: “You made a speech, but it’s my turn to ask the questions”.

He said that his point was not to encourage racism but rather if it was suggested to a rally goer they were a racist, they should wear the term as a “badge of honour” because it was sign critics couldn’t debate them on the facts.

Turning to who could beat Mr Trump in the next presidential election in 2020, he said it shouldn’t be the usual name from inside the Washington DC bubble.

The Rock. The next president of the US? Picture: AP.

“In the future, you’re not going to see leaders in this country and particularly people running for president that actually work on city council, go to the state legislature running congress.

“I think we’re in a media age. That’s what I’ve said when they asked me about 2020 candidates, I said, I think Oprah Winfrey’s the number one potential.

“And I think people like The Rock have real opportunities.”