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The ‘Deplorables’ Called Into Battle Again - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-deplorables-called-into-battle-again-1535376353?mod=mh The ‘Deplorables’ Called Into Battle Again As midterms near, President Trump’s former political guru Steve Bannon rallies the troops Gerald F. SeibAug. 27, 2018 9:25 a.m. ET By Gerald F. Seib Steve Bannon doesn’t do subtle. So it’s no surprise that there’s nothing subtle about the new movie President Trump’s onetime political guru has produced to energize the Trump base for this year’s midterm elections. It’s entitled “Trump at War,” and it’s an hour and 15 minutes of pure Trumpian adrenaline. It opens with a series of shots of Trump supporters being attacked by angry opponents, shifts to outtakes of Trump supporters proudly accepting the “deplorables” label bestowed by Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign, runs through a long series of angry ripostes at Trump detractors and praise of administration policy moves, and closes with dire warnings of the need to vote for Republicans in 2018 to head off efforts by liberals to impeach the president. Mr. Bannon previewed the film for some Republican supporters in Dallas recently, but the big premiere is scheduled for Sept. 9—chosen because it is the second anniversary of the speech in which Mrs. Clinton used the “basket of deplorables” phrase. The location? The very club in Manhattan where Mrs. Clinton made the speech, which has been rented for the occasion. Aside from what they say about Mr. Bannon as a political provocateur, the film and its unveiling also reveal a lot about how people in the president’s circle increasingly see this year’s midterm election: Its importance is growing every day; Republican success starts with turning out core Trump supporters; and the best way to motivate them is by brandishing the fear of impeachment proceedings if Democrats win control of Congress.