Former White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon War Room The former executive chairman of Breitbart News, currently serving a four-month sentence at the Danbury Federal Prison in Connecticut, is speaking out from behind bars in his first exclusive interview with Breitbart News conducted by email since his incarceration just over a week ago.
Bannon, who agreed to a Q&A with Breitbart News via email from his prison cell, answered several questions, but most importantly his reaction to the Democratic Party’s move to endorse President Joe Biden as their nominee after his disastrous debate performance. Over the past day, top Democrats, from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to “Squad” leaders Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), have made it clear that Biden is their nominee and that there is no change to the party’s top candidate.
In a comment sure to further inflame tensions on the left, Bannon said supporters of former President Donald Trump now have “the candidate we want on the other side.” That being said, even though Biden remaining the presidential candidate would be a political disaster for the Democratic Party, Bannon argued that the country faces a serious national security crisis as long as Biden, who is clearly unable to do his job, remains president. Bannon said this “national security crisis” is “separate” from political issues and pressed Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to aggressively investigate it. Bannon said Johnson should cancel his scheduled August recess and remain in Congress to determine why the country is now being led by a “non-functioning corpse” named Biden.
The former Trump aide also argued that this week’s NATO summit in Washington, which will bring world leaders from dozens of countries to the United States, represents a unique opportunity for supporters of Trump’s America First agenda to push a populist-nationalist agenda, especially given the recent elections in the UK and France in which globalists have been rejected by both the establishment right and the center-left. This is especially true, he said, given the fact that some of the most damning leaks against President Biden have come from foreign allies telling stories of how, over the years, President Biden has shown signs of cognitive decline in his interactions with foreign leaders. These media leaks also represent a fraying relationship between the establishment media and the Democratic Party and President Biden, Bannon argued, and to permanently sever that alliance, the right must aggressively present Biden’s cognitive decline as a national security crisis.
Most importantly, Bannon began the interview by explaining what he means by the “next man” concept he often spoke about before his federal prison term, arguing that the strength of this “populist movement” lies in its numbers.
Below is the full transcript of the interview, lightly edited for clarity because it is difficult to communicate via email with someone incarcerated in federal prison.
Breitbart News Network: While you’re in prison, you’ve said many times that you want everyone to focus on “the next guy standing up.” Can you explain that concept to me? What do you mean by “the next guy standing up”? What should supporters of President Trump do now?
Steve Bannon: We are a populist movement. Our power comes from citizens actively engaged in the defense of the American Republic. We have great leaders, both in electoral politics, in the media and among activists. The President is our leader and the unique hero in American history…But the existing order thinks they can blunt MAGA influence by targeting our leader. They are wrong in that assumption. The legal war against President Trump has only made him more powerful and more attractive to a broader range of American voters. The same goes for Rudy. [Giuliani]Mike Lindell, Jim Hoeft, Alex Jones, John Eastman, Jeff Clark, Cleta Mitchell… the list goes on and on. MAGA is the embodiment of “antifragility” and resilience is our watchword.
“The Next Guy Will Rise” is born from the premise of antifragility. When a leader falls, another rises; when one fails in his mission or purpose, another rises… Whatever the cause or opportunity, whatever the circumstances, the next person (male or female, young or old) will fill the gap. That is the underlying force of our nations and our populist nationalist movements: our people. They are engaged and passionate about our country. That is “The Next Guy Will Rise.”
This phenomenon is War RoomA rotating cast of 10-20 guest hosts, numerous contributors, and a next-level audience multiplies the force, expanding its reach and power as more citizens join in.
Breitbart: Of course, the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump took place just before you walked in, and since then, there’s been a fierce debate on the Democratic side about how Biden should be treated given his declining cognitive abilities. What do you think is happening now?
Bannon: There are two issues, and it is important to separate them. The first is a national security crisis caused by a cover-up of the status of a Commander in Chief who is only “on” from 10am to 4pm. And the callousness seen during the debate affects the entire country and the world. We must get to the truth, and we must do it now. This is not a question of whether Biden can serve another four years, but whether he can lead the country safely through January 2025. The House must immediately launch an investigation to determine who knew this and when. The cover-up is critical.
The second is a political problem for the Democrats. In reality, they disenfranchised millions of voters with a fake primary. The Democratic establishment knows Biden cannot beat Trump, but they are stuck and will need trenching tools to dig him out.
The MAGA political goal is to “poison” the Democrat bait-and-switch process as much as possible…it’s all a process and the American voter needs to be armed with minute-by-minute information about what’s actually going on…they will fight back.
Breitbart: Democrats have seemed to have align themselves with Biden in recent days and are supporting him, with a few exceptions. What do you think about Democrats continuing to support Biden despite serious problems?
Bannon: So, we got the candidate we wanted… and the country is left with a non-functioning corpse.
It’s time to step up the national security side of this issue. He is unfit to be Commander in Chief. Now or January 2025…we need to know who is responsible for this cover-up. Apparently European leaders are telling one embarrassing story after another.
His approval rating is in the low 40s, but he could raise it to match his 39% approval rating.
Breitbart: Congress is back in session this week. What should Republicans do? What should Speaker Johnson do?
Bannon: Chairman Johnson needs to immediately address these issues, including the weaponization of the Department of Justice, the single-subject appropriations bill, Biden’s investigation into funding from the Chinese Communist Party and Ukraine, Biden’s investigation into his fitness to be Commander in Chief and the cover-up, and passing Chip Roy’s bill to ban illegal immigrants from voting.
The House of Representatives cannot take a summer break, especially when lower-level elections mean more and control of the House could determine the success of President Trump’s second term. In fact, I am canceling my August recess now to make time to go home just for campaigning. Now is not the time for vacation, but for intensive work. We, including the House of Representatives, must work hard every day until November 5th.
Breitbart: Of course, all this is happening against the backdrop of NATO leaders gathering in Washington this week for a major summit hosted by the U.S. What message does this Democratic turmoil send to America’s allies in NATO countries?
Bannon: This event, planned to be shown in front of the American public in the summer of an election year, could be a perfect illustration of “America First”. Every major policy decision comes directly from President Trump’s policies: forcing NATO to be a real ally and not just a US protectorate, making Europe independent in its national security and not a US vassal… The worst leaks about Biden’s lack of command presence come from meetings with foreign leaders on NATO and national security… Moreover, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party and Macron’s party have just suffered a crushing defeat in the elections, and the biggest Ukraine hardliner has had his wings clipped… Perfect timing for America First.
Breitbart: The entire media seems to have turned against Biden, creating an irreparable rift between the two. Can Biden win them back?
Bannon: We know that the media has collaborated and conspired with Biden in some of the worst undertakings of this Administration…The extent and viciousness with which they have attacked Biden since that night shows their fear…They still have a vote. A big vote. How it plays out will depend on how well the House pushes national security issues and how well the MAGA media poisons the bait-and-switch. We can force them to do this because they are one of the pillars of the cover-up.
