Washington D.C.—
Steve Bannon, senior advisor to President Trump and former executive chairman of the Alt-Right news organization Breitbart News, has reportedly taken a DNA test that alleges his genetic heritage is three-quarters West African.
The test result has gone viral online since it was published on Reddit earlier this week, and, though the name listed on the ancestry report very clearly says “Stephen Bannon,” it remains unclear who originally posted a picture of the result.
The name listed for the post’s author says “J-Kush,” which has fed speculation that White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner is the culprit, but Kushner neither confirmed nor denied that it was him. It is possible, of course, that the post’s author is merely a White House prankster and weed enthusiast, rather than the president’s son-in-law.
Many commentators have noted the irony in the DNA test’s alleged result because of Bannon’s arguably racist political and ideological positions on subjects ranging from America’s ethnic minorities, immigration, and foreign policy. Breitbart News is particularly infamous for its hateful rhetoric and Alt-Right leanings, which a community of neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Islamophobes have embraced.
When The Halfway Post asked the NAACP for a comment on the matter, the NAACP spokesperson simply sent the following email: “LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.”
The authenticity of the Reddit post has not been definitively confirmed, but a college acquaintance of Mr. Kushner, who requested anonymity, claimed that that prank sounded like pranks Kushner used to pull while at Harvard.
“Jared loves ratting on people, and has always been a tattle-tale,” the friend said. “It would not surprise me at all if Jared found the test results and posted them, especially because of Jared’s animosity toward Steve Bannon.”
The tension between Mr. Kushner and Mr. Bannon has made national news several times in recent months on account of their bitter political differences, with White House staffers reporting that President Trump is often frustrated over their bickering.
Still, White House staffers from several of the self-described “rogue administration” Twitter accounts have insisted online that the photo is legitimate, and that Mr. Bannon has been talking about finding out his ancestry for some time.
“He told us he took a cotton swab test about a month ago, so the timing seems to check out,” said “RogueStaffer” on Twitter this afternoon.
“A few days ago I heard Bannon screaming obscenities from his office, and then he left for the day,” said “RogueSnrStaffer” in the beginning of a Twitter thread addressing the rumor. “J often goes into B’s office to check out B’s omnipresent white board of administration’s agenda items, so very psbl J found the DNA test.”
The Reddit thread has since blown up in popularity, but the original author hasn’t responded to any queries for more information. The post concerning the DNA test is also the only post that “J-Kush” has published.
Despite wide-spread skepticism from right-wing media, Kushner’s college acquaintance still believes the president’s son-in-law is “J-Kush.”
“That guy is a total rat, and it totally fits his character to try and sabotage Bannon in this way,” he said.
*This story is developing.*
(Photo courtesy of Don Irvine.)
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