Steve Bannon, who served as chief strategist to Donald Trump, issued a stark warning to his followers. “As God is my witness, if we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included,” said Bannon, noting that many ultraconservative movements could be facing a criminal reckoning.
His statement came on November 6 at a Conservative Partnership Institute event. It is important to note that the former Trump administration chief strategist pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme in February of this year. He admitted to stealing $1 million from a crowdfunding charity. The money was raised initially to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.
Steve Bannon: If we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included.
pic.twitter.com/O1iyPipz0n
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) November 6, 2025
Now, he is issuing the warning after Republicans faced major election losses across states like New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. The Democratic victories have further polarized people’s opinion about the Trump administration, while the POTUS himself faced a major consequence as well.
According to a recent Emerson College poll, following the off-year elections in several states, Donald Trump’s approval rating plummeted to 41%, which is about an eight-point drop since he began his second term. Bannon noted that if the GOP now wants to avoid more election losses, it must “counter” Democrats strategically.
Addressing his fellow conservatives, Bannon said, “They’re not gonna stop. They are getting more and more and more radical.” He added, “We have to counter it with more action, more intense action, more urgency.”
Steve Bannon: “Well he’s gonna get a third term. Trump is gonna be president in ‘28 and people ought to just get accommodated with that.”
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) October 23, 2025
“We’re burning daylight. We have to codify what President Trump has done by executive order. We’ve gotta put aside these structural barriers and get on with it,” said Steve Bannon. He also noted that conservatives should sue California to stop the redistricting plan, which was passed by a wide margin. It received strong support from California Governor Gavin Newsom.
His warnings didn’t stop here as he urged Russell Vought, Trump’s Office of Management and Budget director, to further “maximize” the control of government. In addition, he asked the Republican leaders in Congress to “seize the institutions. …If we don’t do that now, we’re going to lose this chance forever, because you’re never going to have another Trump.”
Despite facing Democratic backlash, Bannon continues to issue warnings to his fellow Republicans as Trump’s former chief strategist. Last month, in an interview with The Economist, he said, “The strength of the populist nationalist MAGA movement in this country is we’re anti-fragile.”
Bannon added, “We’re resilient. You can give us your best shot. You can put us in prison, … you can debank us, you can deplatform us … We can’t be beaten if we don’t quit.”
“Serious people like Russ Vought and others have spent years thinking this whole plan through.” His overall statement was “We must strike and we must strike now.”
