Politics in the 21st century often feels like a series of Rorschach tests where nobody can agree on what they’re seeing. That’s precisely what happened in February 2025. Steve Bannon, the firebrand former strategist for Donald Trump and the architect of the "War Room" media empire, stood on the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He was coming off a high-energy speech, the kind of rambling, grievance-filled address his audience lives for. Then, he raised his arm.
The image of Steve Bannon sieg heil rumors instantly flooded social media. It wasn't just a stray post on X; it became a full-blown international incident that actually fractured alliances within the global far-right.
Whether you think it was a deliberate dog whistle or just a clumsy wave depends entirely on who you ask, but the fallout was very real. Even Jordan Bardella, the leader of France's National Rally—a party that hasn't exactly been shy about its own radical roots—was so spooked by the optics that he bailed on the conference entirely.
What Actually Happened at CPAC 2025?
Bannon was wrapping up a speech at National Harbor, Maryland. He’d just finished a "Fight! Fight! Fight!" chant, a call to action that has become a staple of the MAGA movement since the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania, incident. As the crowd roared, Bannon extended his right arm.
It was stiff. It was at an angle. His palm was flat and facing downward.
To the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and a host of civil rights watchdogs, it was an unmistakable fascist signal. To Bannon, it was just "a wave." He later told reporters from Le Point that he does it at the end of all his speeches to thank the crowd. He even mocked those who were offended, calling Bardella a "boy, not a man" for canceling his appearance over a gesture.
But the context matters here. Just a month prior, Elon Musk had sparked a similar controversy with an "awkward" salute at an inauguration rally. When Bannon did it, it didn't feel like a coincidence to most observers. It felt like a pattern.
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The Gesture that Broke the Far-Right Alliance
The most fascinating part of the Steve Bannon sieg heil controversy wasn't the reaction from the left—everyone expected that—but the reaction from the European far-right.
Jordan Bardella is trying to make the National Rally (formerly the Front National) look like a legitimate government-in-waiting in France. He’s spent years "de-demonizing" the party to distance it from its founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was notorious for antisemitic remarks. For Bardella, appearing on the same stage where a speaker just flashed a Nazi-adjacent salute was a PR suicide mission.
He didn't just skip his speech; he issued a scathing statement. He called the gesture a "provocation" and an "allusion to Nazi ideology."
Think about that for a second. Bannon, the man who wants to build the "infrastructure for the global populist movement," was basically excommunicated by the very people he was trying to lead. Bannon’s retort was classic Bannon. He claimed he had used the same wave seven years ago at a Front National event and no one cared then.
Why the ADL and Experts Are Concerned
The Anti-Defamation League has been tracking Bannon for a long time. They don't view his actions in a vacuum. To them, the Steve Bannon sieg heil moment is part of a "normalization of extremism."
The ADL noted that Bannon has a "long and disturbing history" of stoking hate and empowering extremists. When a figure with that much influence uses a gesture that—at best—is indistinguishable from a Nazi salute, it signals to actual neo-Nazis that they have a seat at the table.
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Interestingly, even Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist influencer who is often much more radical than Bannon, admitted in a livestream that the salute was "getting a little uncomfortable" even for him. When you’re too "out there" for the fringe, you know you’ve hit a nerve.
The "Roman Salute" Defense
Whenever these gestures pop up, a specific defense usually follows: it’s not a Nazi salute; it’s a "Roman salute."
Historians are pretty quick to debunk the idea that this was a common greeting in ancient Rome. Most research suggests that the "Roman salute" as we know it was largely a creation of 18th and 19th-century art (think Jacques-Louis David’s The Oath of the Horatii). It was later adopted by Italian fascists under Mussolini in the 1920s and then by Hitler’s Nazi party.
Basically, the "Roman" part is a historical myth used to provide cover for fascist imagery. Whether Bannon knew the deep art history of the gesture is debatable, but he’s a man who prides himself on being a "student of history." He knows exactly what that arm movement represents in the modern mind.
Is it a Wave or a Signal?
The debate over the Steve Bannon sieg heil incident often boils down to "intent." Bannon’s supporters, like CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp, defended him by pointing to his support for Israel. They argue that you can't be a Nazi if you support the Jewish state.
Critics, however, argue that "philosemitism" (supporting Israel for geopolitical or religious reasons) can coexist with the use of antisemitic tropes and fascist signaling. They see the gesture as a "triggering" mechanism—something designed to make the media go crazy so Bannon can then mock them for being oversensitive.
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Honestly, that’s been the Bannon playbook for a decade. Do something provocative, wait for the outrage, and then use that outrage to prove to your base that the "elites" are out to get you.
How to Navigate the Noise
When stories like this break, it's easy to get lost in the partisan screaming matches. If you're trying to figure out what's real, look at the following:
- The Visuals: Watch the unedited clip. Does it look like a natural wave to a crowd, or does it have the rigid, deliberate posture associated with fascist salutes?
- The Fallout: Follow the money and the alliances. The fact that Jordan Bardella—a man who shares many of Bannon's policy goals—felt the need to distance himself is a huge data point.
- The History: Understand that these gestures don't exist in a bubble. They are used to build identity and signal belonging in radical groups.
The CPAC incident wasn't just a moment of bad posture. it was a stress test for the American political landscape. It showed how much the "Overton Window"—the range of what is considered acceptable in public discourse—has shifted.
Moving forward, it’s worth watching how other conservative leaders handle Bannon. Does he remain a kingmaker, or does the "provocateur" label finally become a liability? For now, Bannon seems content to stay in his "War Room," leaning into the controversy and daring anyone to look away.
Check the official transcripts or video archives of CPAC 2025 to see the full context of Bannon's speech. Pay close attention to the reactions of the crowd in the room versus the reactions of international delegates to see the divide in real-time.