Bannon is spreading his poison in a wider circle.

Donald Trump‘s former adviser Steve Bannon is setting up a foundation to boost the spread of far-right political groups across Europe.

The strategist hopes the non-profit organisation called “The Movement” will rival the liberal Open Society Foundation set up by billionaire George Soros in 1984.

“Soros is brilliant,” Mr Bannon told the Daily Beast website. “He’s evil, but he’s brilliant.”

Since his departure from the White House in August last year, the former Breitbart editor has met a series of right-wing leaders including France’s Marine Le Pen, Alice Weidel of Alternative for Germany, Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Nigel Farage.

In France told a Front National rally to wear the label of racism as a badge of honor. In the UK he called Tommy Robinson the backbone of Britain. (So he’s the Pennines then?)

He said he believed that “right-wing populist nationalism” is the future of Europe after decades of integration.

The Brexit referendum victory in 2016 was followed by the election of Donald Trump in the US and the rise of right-winger Matteo Salvini to become Italy’s deputy prime minister this year.

Mr Salvini has announced a census of the country’s Roma community and closed its ports to humanitarian ships rescuing migrants off the coast of Libya.

Springtime for racism and xenophobes.