Steve Bannon, a prominent conservative political strategist and close ally of Donald Trump, has issued a stark warning that he faces imprisonment if Republicans fail to maintain control of Congress and the presidency. This statement comes amid a series of unfavorable polls for the MAGA movement.
Bannon shared his prediction during a Conservative Partnership Academy conference in November, while discussing the 2026 midterms, which will be a major political test for President Trump during his second term.
For some time, polls have indicated that Republicans are struggling to hold onto the House, with YouGov reporting a growing six-point advantage for Democrats. This is compounded by challenges from the executive branch, with Trump’s net unfavorability increasing from zero to approximately minus 12 percent since the general election victory.
Expressing concern over a potential ‘witch hunt’ by the opposition if Democrats achieve electoral success, Bannon declared ‘as God is my witness’ that many, including himself, at the conference may face prison.
Some interpreted this as an admission of guilt, with one X user summarizing the sentiment as, “If you have to win an election to avoid ending up in prison, you’re not one of the good guys.”
Conversely, those on the political right perceived Bannon’s comments as stating the obvious, pointing to the normalization of legal battles in American politics. “It proves that the winners will prosecute for political reasons,” another user commented.
‘Lawfare’ has indeed become a significant aspect of politics recently. Since his first term, Trump has criticized investigations, such as the one concerning the January 6 riots, labeling them as a ‘witch hunt’.
During his first year back in office, Trump has similarly used the Attorney General and a legal team to target those who pursued legal actions against him after his presidency.
This includes New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump in 2022. In response, she faced potential fraud charges herself, which were dismissed by both a judge and a federal grand jury recently.
During his speech, Bannon emphasized the need for the right to ‘counter with more action’ and ‘more urgency’. He suggested overcoming ‘structural barriers’ to move forward, referring to the Constitution.
Highlighting the significance of these elections for the MAGA movement, Bannon called for a ‘maximalist strategy’, urging Republican operatives to ‘seize the institutions’, referring to the House of Representatives, Senate, and the Executive branch.
“If we don’t do that now we’re going to lose this chance forever,” Bannon stated, urging the crowd to act decisively to keep MAGA in power “because you’re never going to have another Trump.”