Bannon’s War Room Battleground 923

“Harnwell One On One With Austrian Lobbyist Gunther Fellinger And John Rudat, Knifed In The Face In Germany”

Date: January 10, 2026
Host: Steve Bannon (with guest host Harnwell)
Guests: Gunther Fellinger (Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement), John Rudat (American victim of knife attack in Germany)

Episode Overview

The episode features two segments with international resonance. First, Steve Bannon and guest host Harnwell interview Austrian lobbyist Gunther Fellinger in a combative, free-wheeling discussion about U.S.-Europe relations, the future of NATO, and the controversial notion of America seizing Greenland. Fellinger’s forceful Atlanticist perspective sparks a lively debate about European sovereignty and defense.

In the second half, American expat John Rudat recounts a brutal knife attack he suffered while intervening to protect women from harassment by migrants in Dresden, Germany, exploring media suppression and the chilling effect on German society. His personal story highlights crime, integration, and censorship issues in contemporary Europe.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Gunther Fellinger: NATO, Austria, and the “Greenland Hypothesis”

(00:55–29:00)

Background and Political Position

• Fellinger chairs the Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement and is a self-described “leading Austrian pro-American.”
• He lobbies for Austria (traditionally neutral) to join NATO, inspired by Sweden and Finland’s 2022 decisions post-Ukraine invasion.

The ‘Greenland’ Debate

• Fellinger’s provocative social media statement: If Trump tries to “take Greenland,” Europeans should cancel U.S. military base agreements across Europe.
  • Quote: “Every single base of the Americans, from Aviano to Ramstein… will be confiscated and you will lose it… If you take Greenland, you have to leave.” (03:12–03:55)
• He clarifies: Austria actually hosts no U.S. bases, but other European nations do. The “seizure” would be legal (via revoking SOFAs), not military.

EU-U.S. Tensions & Atlanticism

• Bannon pushes Fellinger on how Europe can both depend on U.S. power and threaten to “kick out” the U.S. over Greenland.
  • Fellinger insists: There’s no contradiction in comrades quarrelling but keeping Russia as the enemy.
• He criticizes what he sees as U.S. attempts at humiliation:
  • Quote: “We are not servants… We are proud Europeans. We have our pride… and we can defend ourselves if somebody attacks us.” (15:46)
• The real enemy is always Russia, according to Fellinger, even if U.S. actions provoke European outrage.

European Defense, Flat Tax, and Migration

• Fellinger supports a NATO with greater European (specifically Austrian) financial and human commitment, arguing for tax reform to fund security.
  • Quote: “We attract the whole world because we have such a generous subsidy system. That’s not good. We must cut debt and reduce welfare spending and cut taxes… then we can afford also increase of security related defence spending.” (18:32)
• On migration, Fellinger controversially distinguishes between punishing “enemies”—naming Tucker Carlson specifically—and accepting peaceful migrants.
  • Quote: “If somebody has committed a crime of treason, like Tucker Carlson… They are like parasites living in our jurisdiction. They must go. Goodbye, Tucker Carlson.” (22:14)

Challenge on Europe’s Stance

• Bannon remains skeptical of Fellinger’s “Atlanticism,” pressing for clarity about EPP (European People’s Party) stances and the apparent contradiction of supporting both the U.S. and anti-U.S. rhetoric.

2. John Rudat: Crime, Migration, and Social Censorship in Modern Germany

(31:01–51:22)

Recounting the Knife Attack

• Rudat describes intervening to protect a woman from harassment and physical assault on a Dresden tram, being attacked and severely cut by a Syrian illegal migrant.
  • Quote: “That knife slit my eyelid… went into my nose, went down inside my mouth and out came around here… One millimeter more and that would have taken my eye.” (31:08)
• He recalls German bystanders observing passively, some even smiling, reflecting a societal climate of fear and inertia.
  • Quote: “They were sitting down and watching… Nothing. Even after the incident, when my face was open, bloody… some people in the video, some German citizens smiling as this went down, as this was something funny.” (34:50)

The German Media & Social Stigma

• Rudat notes mainstream German media downplaying migrant crime unless foreigners like him are involved. After his engagement with AfD (the right-wing Alternative for Deutschland party), he was labeled a “racist and fascist.”
  • Quote: “The media originally… switched up and called me a racist and a fascist and a Nazi, not understanding what’s really going on in Germany, when just a few months prior they were singing my praise.” (36:55)

Societal Impact and Chilling Effects

• Describes a social climate where Germans are afraid to speak honestly about crime or migration:
  • “Everybody that reached out to me was positive… but they feel afraid to even support this publicly… that they feel afraid to even advocate for this brighter future in Germany.” (44:14)
• At the time of recording, Rudat says the alleged attacker, likely a minor, will likely face minimal legal consequences (“six months, a year in jail, maybe”).

Modeling Career, Censorship, and New Initiatives

• His modeling career ended not due to his physical scars but because of his perceived political stance.
  • “Brands reach out to me… then just a few days later withdraw their statements… after my interviews with some conservative media outlets…” (41:06)
• In response, Rudat launched his own clothing brand “Kosos” to give exiled right-wing models and voices a platform.
  • Quote: “My aim with Kosos… is to give the right wing models that have been exiled … that image here in Germany a voice because they don’t have it. It’s being taken away.” (42:54)
• He only became publicly political after the attack: “No, I kept my political views to myself until a Syrian national decided to slash me in the face. And now they will be public.” (45:30)

Judicial Process & Aftermath

• The attacker claimed to be a minor, forestalling harsher punishment. There’s little hope for substantial justice.
• Rudat’s reflections: deeply disappointed by both official German reactions and social apathy.

Notable Quotes

• Gunther Fellinger (on U.S. bases and Greenland):

  “If you take Greenland, you have to leave… And we will do that without the US Nuclear shield, without the US troops in Europe, without the American bases. We will simply run these bases ourselves and we run your boys home into Chicago and Ohio. And goodbye.” (03:12–03:55)

• Steve Bannon (on Europe’s reliance on America):

  “So you don’t see any dissonance… threatening America with expulsion from NATO over an eventual seizing of Greenland, and the dependence on American military to face off Russia, on the other hand.” (10:42)

• Gunther Fellinger (on European resolve):

  “Don’t underestimate us. We are serious people. We have honor, we have pride… We will not go down without a fight.” (11:11)

• John Rudat (on the attack):

  “That knife slit my eyelid… One millimeter more and that would have taken my eye.” (31:08)

  “They were sitting down and watching… some German citizens smiling as this went down, as this was something funny.” (34:50)

• On German media backlash:

  “The media… called me a racist and a fascist and a Nazi, not understanding what’s really going on in Germany, when just a few months prior they were singing my praise.” (36:55)

• On the end of his modeling career:

  “Brands reach out to me… then just a few days later withdraw their statements… after my interviews with some conservative media outlets…” (41:06)

• On his political awakening:

  “I kept my political views to myself until a Syrian national decided to slash me in the face. And now they will be public.” (45:30)

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:55 | Introduction of Gunther Fellinger, Austria & NATO debate | | 03:12 | Fellinger’s call to seize/cancel US bases if US takes Greenland | | 04:30 | Fellinger outlines pro-NATO/Atlanticist advocacy | | 10:42 | Bannon challenges European dependence/contradiction | | 18:32 | Migration, flat tax, and social spending debate | | 22:14 | Fellinger on treating “enemies” and stance on migration | | 31:08 | John Rudat recounts the knife attack in Dresden | | 34:50 | Rudat on bystander apathy on tram | | 36:55 | Rudat discusses German media vilification | | 41:06 | Loss of modeling career, start of clothing brand Kosos | | 45:30 | Rudat describes shift to political engagement | | 49:27 | Detailed account of attack moments |

Tone and Style

• The episode was combative, unsparing, and candid—true to the War Room brand.
• Fellinger is forthright, polemical, and unapologetically pro-American and anti-Russian, but asserts strong European dignity.
• Rudat is matter-of-fact, visibly shaken but resolute, highlighting the chilling, silencing effect of violence and media bias in Germany.

Summary Takeaway

This episode of War Room Battleground captures the growing cracks in the Western alliance: European resentment at perceived American overreach, the difficult necessity of transatlantic collaboration, and the profound internal challenges facing European societies—ranging from defense funding to migration and social censorship. Fellinger defends European honor and Atlanticism while Rudat offers a haunting, personal lens on Europe’s loss of security and civic courage amid rising violent crime and media suppression. Together, their appearances delineate the anxieties and divisions reshaping the U.S.-EU relationship and European identity itself.