Steve Bannon says 'Maga army' ready, as he reports to prison

Donald Trump’s erstwhile apical advisor Steve Bannon has told the BBC helium does not fearfulness going to situation oregon watching the erstwhile president’s 2024 run from down bars.

After being convicted of contempt of Congress, the antheral who was seen arsenic the powerfulness down the scenes successful the White House astatine the commencement of Trump’s statesmanlike word successful 2017 volition study to a national situation successful Connecticut connected Monday.

He is inactive appealing against his condemnation for refusing to look successful beforehand of the committee of lawmakers investigating the 6 January 2021 onslaught connected the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Bannon has claimed that conversations helium had with the president that time should beryllium protected nether enforcement privilege.

But past week the Supreme Court ruled helium could not hold his condemnation until aft the entreaty was heard, and present Bannon volition person to look his four-month sentence.

“I've served my state present for the past 10 oregon truthful years focusing connected this,” helium said successful an interview, referring to authorities and the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement. “If I person to bash it successful a prison, I bash it successful a situation - it makes nary quality astatine all.”

He said that helium was unconcerned astir missing a important portion of Trump’s campaign, arsenic determination is simply a “Maga army” acceptable to guarantee the erstwhile president defeats Joe Biden and returns to the White House.

“I’m acceptable to go,” helium said. “I'm each acceptable up.”

While his effort to hold his condemnation failed, Bannon told the BBC that helium intended to broadcast 1 last variation of his right-wing TV amusement and podcast from extracurricular the situation gates earlier turning himself into authorities.

After that, his amusement - described arsenic a “military bid centre for Maga” - volition stay connected the aerial successful his absence. He has arranged for different hosts to contiguous the War Room on with each his regular contributors.

A erstwhile Goldman Sachs banker turned alt-right media figure, Bannon was seen by Democrats arsenic the encephalon down not lone Trump's bonzer governmental emergence but besides immoderate of his astir divisive policies.

He changeable to nationalist prominence arsenic main enforcement of Donald Trump’s palmy 2016 statesmanlike run and past became 1 of the astir almighty figures successful Washington arsenic White House main strategist aboriginal successful the Trump administration.

Seven months into his White House posting, however, helium was fired and spent immoderate clip adrift from Trump’s interior circle.

The challenging facet of Bannon's persona is that "most commentators alternate betwixt calling him a mastermind and saying that he’s irrelevant", said Benjamin Teitelbaum, the writer of War for Eternity: Inside Bannon's Far-Right Circle of Global Power Brokers.

"He’s some extremes astatine once.”

In the interim, Bannon appears to person worked his mode backmost into the Trump fold, and for the past 5 years has hosted the War Room - wherever helium has continued to backmost the erstwhile president and his movement.

Bannon’s existent “war room” is successful the basement of an elegant Capitol Hill municipality house, conscionable a stone’s propulsion from the US Supreme Court.

Every aboveground is piled precocious with hardback books connected politics, concern and conspiracy theories. Stacked connected the mantlepiece, among assorted spiritual iconography, is simply a printed punctuation that Bannon - who sees himself arsenic as a shepherd of the Maga populist docket - coined: “There are NO conspiracies but determination are NO coincidences.”

The immense handbook of "Project 2025" is positioned successful pridefulness of spot successful the room. The 900-page tome enactment unneurotic by the Heritage Foundation - a blimpish deliberation vessel - contains elaborate plans for however a 2nd Trump medication volition alteration the American authorities and the powerfulness of the enforcement branch.

We were surrounded by the lights, cameras and microphones that Bannon uses to broadcast for 4 hours each weekday erstwhile helium told maine helium and his amusement person played a large portion successful empowering and moblising thousands of Trump-supporting activists, who helium called “street fighters”.

Though helium volition not beryllium capable to pb them from prison, helium said that this “Maga army” that “can’t and won’t halt until last victory” volition easy proceed connected its mission.

After all, helium said, the populist Maga question is greater than him - and adjacent Donald Trump. According to him, it does not substance who delivers its message.

Bannon continues to marque the mendacious assertion that the 2020 predetermination was stolen from Trump - successful reality, courts person thrown retired dozens of lawsuits challenging the results and nary grounds of wide fraud has emerged.

On predetermination day, 5 November, Bannon said the “Maga army” would beryllium acceptable to deploy crossed the country, astatine polling stations and predetermination counts to guarantee the erstwhile president’s victory.

These supporters - including canvass watchers and lawyers - would situation ballots they don’t judge should beryllium awarded to Joe Biden, helium said.

Mr Teitelbaum, however, doubted that Bannon's ain assemblage was "organised capable to beryllium deployable successful the mode helium describes".

Confident that Trump volition triumph successful November, Bannon was anxious to sermon what the erstwhile president’s docket would beryllium erstwhile helium returns to authorities – and the War Room big leaves prison.

He believes the adjacent Trump White House volition beryllium influenced by ideas helium has promoted connected his show.

Immigration remains a apical priority, Bannon said. He said helium was definite that connected “day one” Trump would seal the borderline to “stop the invasion”, and past commencement the “mass deportation of 10 to 15 cardinal amerciable alien invaders”.

The erstwhile president would crook to the system aft that, helium said, and clasp the taxation cuts from his archetypal word that person mostly benefited affluent individuals and corporations. He claimed the Republican would past extremity the “forever wars” successful Ukraine and Gaza, though it was unclear however Trump would bash this.

Bannon did not shy distant from discussing however a 2nd Trump medication would people its governmental enemies.

Trump has himself said that if reelected, helium whitethorn person individuals helium feels person wronged him investigated - particularly those who person been progressive successful the assorted transgression proceedings against him.

Law enforcement agencies and the subject would each beryllium “brought to account” nether a aboriginal Trump administration, Bannon said, and President Joe Biden would besides look prosecution.

While helium accused the president of “selling retired the country”, the Republican-controlled oversight committee successful the House of Representatives investigating specified allegations has not produced immoderate grounds of transgression wrongdoing by the president, nor moved to impeach him.

But, arsenic of now, it is Bannon who is acceptable to spell to prison. And conscionable earlier his departure, helium near an ominous informing astir immoderate predetermination effect that did not telephone Trump the victor.

It is “impossible”, helium told me, for Joe Biden to triumph the predetermination successful November. And, therefore, determination is nary mode helium oregon his "Maga army" volition judge the effect if the president is reelected.

As helium enactment it successful a caller code astatine a blimpish governmental conference, helium sees the predetermination arsenic a zero-sum crippled - and, helium told the revved-up assemblage of Trump supporters, it volition effect successful “victory oregon death”.

With further reporting by Rebecca Hartmann and Ana Faguy