As Rebecca Hamilton noted in her post on Monday, commentators from across the political spectrum have denounced President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist in the White House. In July, as chairman of Breitbart Media, Bannon described the news site as “the platform for the alt-right,” which, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is “a set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that ‘white identity’ is under attack by multicultural forces using ‘political correctness’ and ‘social justice’ to undermine white people and ‘their civilization.'” We’ve been following the reaction to Bannon’s appointment on Twitter, and have highlighted some of the more noteworthy Tweets below:
Let's be clear here media. Stop using "Alt Right." It is the racist, anti-semitic, fascist extreme right. Please be clear & stop normalizing
— John Weaver (@JWGOP) November 13, 2016
Glenn Beck calls alt-right Steve Bannon, Trump's new chief adviser, a "terrifying man" https://t.co/Cw5aacXYOo pic.twitter.com/479j6w7a0q
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 14, 2016
Saying "stop it" to racist attacks means little when you name white supremacist darling Steve Bannon chief strategist in the very same day. https://t.co/BKuyA09VRA
— Evan McMullin (@Evan_McMullin) November 14, 2016
In a normal world, Bannon would probably not be cleared to enter the White House. In this White House, he will have Natl Security Clearance.
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) November 14, 2016
Is there precedent for such a disreputable & unstable extremist in WH senior ranks before Bannon? Sid Blumenthal? But Bannon more powerful.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 14, 2016
Watching Priebus and Gingrich normalize Bannon, followed by others excusing their doing so, you can see the moral gangrene set in.
— Eliot A Cohen (@EliotACohen) November 14, 2016
We at @ADL_National oppose the appt of Steve Bannon to sr role at @WhiteHouse bc he & his alt-right are so hostile to core American values pic.twitter.com/qCVEPKoa7q
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) November 14, 2016
Great piece by @NaomiZeveloff on Bannon/Breitbart being both anti-Semitic and pro-Israel: https://t.co/3RmPRDBFIt key point by @toddgitlin pic.twitter.com/lERrUlBG05
— Matt Duss (@mattduss) November 15, 2016
Hey, media, if the words "white supremacist" or "racist" are not in the lede of your stories in Stephen Bannon, you're doing it wrong.
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) November 14, 2016
Tragically, the appointment of Steve Bannon shows Trump will govern like he campaigned – dividing us, playing on fears and prejudices.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) November 15, 2016
David Duke cheers Bannon appointment as chief WH strategist. When Duke cheers, we should jeer.
— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) November 15, 2016
The backlash did prompt some people to support Bannon’s appointment:
Sarah Palin: ‘The Steve Bannon I know Is a Passionate Defender of Freedom’ https://t.co/vA4H1ve73R
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) November 15, 2016
Paul Ryan says he has no concerns about Breitbart's Stephen Bannon in the White House: "I trust Donald's judgment" https://t.co/BdI5JnZSw2 pic.twitter.com/05IMx8oL2V
— Media Matters (@mmfa) November 13, 2016
American Nazi Party chairman said he saw Bannon hiring as proof Trump might be for real.https://t.co/evRSlTeDo6 pic.twitter.com/0oTO0EBeqI
— andrew kaczynski? (@KFILE) November 14, 2016
Alan Dershowitz defends Steve Bannon: 'I haven't seen any evidence of personal anti-Semitism' https://t.co/yaswHyvp0x #SteveBannon
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 16, 2016
Pamela Geller: As a Jew, I Stand with Steve Bannon – Breitbart https://t.co/57mox0qXN9 via @BreitbartNews
— Pamela Geller (@PamelaGeller) November 15, 2016