As Italy braces for the parliamentary elections that will take place in a couple of days, Bannon, former chief strategist for US President Donald Trump and the former head of Breitbart News, arrive in Rome to endorse right-wing politician Matteo Salvini.
It is undisclosed whether he will meet with the the head of the Lega Nord party himself. However, Bannon himself said that his trip to Italy is based on his belief that the Italian elections will have major implications for Europe, the Guardian reports.
The Guardian also reports that Bannon might be meeting with Raymond Burke, a Vatican cardinal and a staunch critic of Pope Francis. Burke is known to be an outspoken opponent of the Pope on immigration policies, among other things, and on this basis developed ties with Salvini, whom he met one year ago.
Bannon, a former investment banker and film producer, became executive chairman of Breitbart News after its founder's death in 2012. In August 2016, he joined the Trump campaign as chief executive. After months of conflicts with members of the administration whom he considered too liberal, he was relieved of office in August 2017 by new Chief of Staff John Kelly.
