Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon was hastily disinvited from the annual New Yorker festival on Monday, after his inclusion as headliner sparked online outrage and prompted many other speakers to drop out.
In a statement to CNBC, Bannon slammed New Yorker editor-in-chief David Remnick for his change of heart.
Remnick announced his reversal Monday night after scads of critics called him out for giving someone like Bannon, with his offensive—and some say dangerous—views on race and ethnicity, among other things, such a distinguished platform.
A statement from David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, explaining his decision to no longer include Steve Bannon in the 2018 New Yorker Festival. pic.twitter.com/opayiw5GQ2
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) September 3, 2018
It’s simple, Steve, they didn’t want your face on the cover. Not even as a cartoon.
Take it to the streets Bannon.
People like Bannon need to be pushed back to using short-wave radio to get their message out. There’s no excuse for giving them a platform.
It was a mistake to invite Bannon. I’m glad that the New Yorker corrected the mistake.
Bannon gets to play the victim card for a bit but that is preferable to the trustwashing that the original event would have provided him.
Lesson here: live by the howling online mob, die by the howling online mob.