Stephen Kevin Bannon, born on November 27, 1953, is an American media executive, strategist, and former investment banker. He served as chief strategist for President Trump’s first administration until his firing. Bannon also held executive chairman at Breitbart News and served on Cambridge Analytica’s board.

After serving in the Navy, Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker. He acted as director for Biosphere 2 in 1993 and executive produced 18 Hollywood films from 1991 to 2016. In 2007, he co-founded Breitbart News, which he later described as the platform for the alt-right.

Bannon became CEO of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and chief strategist and senior counselor to the president. He left eight months later and rejoined Breitbart. After criticizing Trump’s children in Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury, Bannon was denounced by Trump and subsequently left Breitbart in January 2018.

After leaving the White House, Bannon opposed the Republican Party establishment and supported insurgent candidates. However, his reputation as a strategist was questioned when Roy Moore, despite Bannon’s support, lost the 2017 Alabama Senate election. Bannon aimed to become the “infrastructure for the global populist movement” and supported populist conservative movements worldwide, including establishing far-right groups in Europe.

In August 2020, Bannon and three others were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering linked to the We Build the Wall fundraising campaign. The indictment alleged they promised to use contributions for the wall but enriched themselves. Bannon pleaded not guilty. On his last day in office, Trump pardoned Bannon, sparing him trial but not his codefendants. Federal pardons don’t cover state offenses. In September 2022, Bannon was charged in New York state on fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges related to the campaign.

Bannon, former chief strategist to Donald Trump, defied a subpoena from the January 6 Attack committee, leading to a federal grand jury indictment for contempt of Congress. Found guilty in July 2022, he served four months in prison and a $6,500 fine after losing his Supreme Court appeal.

Tucker Carlson, born on May 16, 1969, is an American conservative political commentator and conspiracy theorist. He gained prominence as Fox News host from 2016 to 2023, then transitioned to hosting Tucker on X and The Tucker Carlson Show.

Carlson, a vocal advocate for President-elect Donald Trump, is often referred to as the “highest-profile proponent of Trumpism” and a leading voice of white grievance politics.

His media career began in the 1990s, writing for publications like The Weekly Standard. He became a CNN commentator from 2000 to 2005 and co-hosted Crossfire from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he moved to MSNBC and hosted Tucker until 2008.

In 2009, Carlson joined Fox News as a political analyst and launched his show in 2010. He co-founded and served as the initial editor-in-chief of The Daily Caller until selling his ownership stake in 2020.

Carlson, known for promoting far-right ideologies, has disseminated conspiracy theories about demographic replacement, COVID-19, the January 6th Capitol attack, and Ukrainian bioweapons. He’s been criticized for making false and misleading statements.

Remarks on race, immigration, and women, including derogatory remarks made between 2006 and 2011, have been deemed racist and sexist, leading to advertiser boycotts of Tucker Carlson Tonight.

In April 2023, Fox News abruptly fired Tucker Carlson, canceling his show without explanation. Lachlan Murdoch ultimately made the decision. At the time, Carlson’s show was one of the most-watched cable news programs.

Carlson was named in Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox News Network defamation lawsuit for broadcasting false statements about voting machines. Fox News settled for $787.5 million.

Carlson has consistently defended Russian President Vladimir Putin. In February 2024, he made history as the first Western journalist to interview Putin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Ann Hart Coulter, born on December 8, 1961, is an American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. She gained prominence as a media pundit in the late 1990s, becoming a vocal critic of the Clinton administration. Her first book focused on the impeachment of Bill Clinton, drawing from her experience writing legal briefs for Paula Jones’s attorneys and her columns covering the cases. Coulter’s syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate is published in newspapers and featured on conservative websites. In addition to her media work, she has authored 13 books.

Fox News, an American conservative news channel, is headquartered in New York City. Owned by Fox Corporation, it generates about 70% of its parent company’s pre-tax profit. Broadcasting from Midtown Manhattan, it serves 86 countries and territories with international broadcasts featuring Fox Extra segments.

Founded in 1996 by Rupert Murdoch to appeal to conservatives, Fox News launched with 17 million cable subscribers and grew to become the dominant U.S. cable news network by 2018, reaching 87 million U.S. households. In 2019, it maintained its top-rated position, averaging 2.5 million viewers during prime time.

Rupert Murdoch, the executive chairman since 2016, announced his stepdown in 2023 and transferred his responsibilities to his son, Lachlan. Suzanne Scott has held the role of CEO since 2018.

Fox News, criticized for biased and false reporting favoring the Republican Party, has denied bias, asserting independence from opinion journalism. However, media analyst Brian Stelter observed in 2021 that Fox adjusted programming to present more opinions-about-the-news due to concerns about losing viewers.

After Dominion Voting Systems sued Fox for defamation over 2020 election reporting, internal communications showed presenters and executives doubted the stolen election claims while continuing to broadcast them. Fox CEO Suzanne Scott worried fact-checking would alienate viewers. In 2023, Fox settled the lawsuit, paying Dominion $787.5 million and acknowledging the court’s ruling.

Pew Research Center reported in 2019 that 65 percent of Republicans and those who lean Republican trusted Fox News.

The Heritage Foundation, sometimes simply called “Heritage,” is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1973, it played a leading role in the conservative movement during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Reagan’s policies were heavily influenced by Heritage Foundation studies, particularly its Mandate for Leadership.

The Heritage Foundation has had a significant impact on U.S. public policy-making and has historically been recognized as one of the most influential public policy organizations in the country. In 2010, it established a sister organization, Heritage Action, which has become a powerful activist force in conservative and Republican politics.

Heritage currently leads the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, also known as Project 2025, an ambitious plan aimed at consolidating presidential control over the executive branch of government to achieve its policy objectives. However, the New York Times reported that The Heritage Foundation had posted misleading videos about the 2024 election.