
Episode 4251: The War On Christians Is Over Under The Trump Administration...
Loading summary
Ezra Klein
Understand the first few weeks of the second Trump administration. Go back and listen to what Steve Bannon told PBS's Frontline in 2019.
Steve Bannon
The opposition party is the media. And the media can only because they're.
Natalie Winters
Dumb and they're lazy.
Steve Bannon
They can only focus on one thing at a time. All we have to do is flood the zone every day. We hit them with three things, they'll bite on one, and we'll get all.
Natalie Winters
Of our stuff done. Pang, bang, bang. These guys will never, will never be able to recover.
Steve Bannon
But we gotta start with muzzle velocity. So it's gotta start and it's gotta hammer. Muzzle velocity, muzzle velocity.
Ezra Klein
Bannon's insight there is real focus is a fundamental substance of democracy. It is particularly the substance of opposition. People largely learn of what the government is doing through the media. So if you overwhelm the media, a record setting number of executive orders, everybody pardoned, violence, nonviolence, including assaulting police officers, birthright citizenship.
Steve Bannon
We live in unprecedented times right now.
Ezra Klein
If you keep it moving from one thing to the next, so far, so good.
Mike Davis
Is this legal?
Ezra Klein
If you give it too many places, it needs to look, you've never been deported before. You're not going to fail all at once. All federal grants and loans will be halted. Look, there is a purge happening, frankly.
Mike Davis
Unprecedented in its nature.
Ezra Klein
Guantanamo dei, the Gulf of America. No coherent opposition can really emerge. It is hard to even think coherently. Donald Trump's first two weeks in the White House have followed Bannon's strategy like a script. The flood is a point. The overwhelm is a point. The message wasn't in any one executive order or announcement. It was in the cumulative effect of all of them. The sense that this is Trump's country now, it is his government now. It follows his will, it does what he wants. That he is limitless. If he says that birthright citizenship is over, then it's over. Or so he wants you to think. In Trump's first term, people said, don't normalize him. In a second, though, the task, I think, is a little bit clearer. Don't believe him, because Trump knows the power of marketing, the power of belief. If you make people believe something is true, you make it likelier that it becomes true. He clawed his way back to great wealth by playing a fearsome billionaire on TV. He remade himself as a winner after the 2020 election by refusing to admit he had ever lost. The American presidency is a limited office, but Trump has never wanted to be president. What he's always wanted to be is king and his plan this time is to first play king on tv. If we believe he is already king, if we believe he already has all that power, we will be likelier to let him govern as a king. We will then give him that power. Don't believe him. Trump has real powers, but they are the powers of the presidency. The powers Joe Biden had, the powers Barack Obama had. The pardon power is vast and unrestricted, and so he could Indeed pardon the January 6th rioters. Federal security protection is under the discretion of the executive branch. And so, yes, Trump could remove protection from Anthony Fauci and Mike Pompeo and John Fulton and Mark Milley and even Brian Hook, this largely unknown former State Department official who's under threat from Iran, who even donated time to Trump's transition team.
Lindell
I would be very happy to put President Trump's record in the Middle east.
Natalie Winters
Against any other president.
Ezra Klein
All of this, it was an act of astonishing cruelty and callousness. This from a man who nearly died by an assassin's bullet months ago, as much as anything ever has been. This, to me, this was an X ray of the smallness of Trump's soul, but it was an act that was within his official power. But the president cannot rewrite the Constitution. Within days, his birthright citizenship order was frozen by a judge, by a Reagan appointee, who told Trump's lawyers, I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar would state unequivocally and that this is a constitutional order. It just boggles my mind. Then a judge froze Trump's spending freeze. He froze it even before it went into full effect. And shortly thereafter, the Trump administration rescinded the entire order, in part to avoid a court case that it seemed pretty clear they would lose. What Bannon wanted, what the Trump administration wants is to keep everything moving fast, muzzle velocity. If you're always consumed by the next outrage, you can't look closely at the last one, then the impression of Trump's power remains, and the fact that he keeps stepping on rakes is missed. The projection of strength obscures the reality of weakness. Don't believe him. You can see this a few ways. Is Trump playing a part? Is he making a bet? Or is he triggering a crisis? Those, I think, are the options. And I'm not certain that even he knows the answer. Trump has always been an improviser, but if you take it as a bet, a calculation, then here is a bet he's making. Maybe this Supreme Court, stocked with his appointees, gives him powers no peacetime president has ever possessed. Perhaps all this becomes legal. Now that he has asserted its legality, it's not impossible to imagine that bet paying off for him. So what if the bet fails? What if Trump's arrogations of power are soundly rejected by the courts? Then comes a question of constitutional crisis. Does he just ignore the court's ruling? To do that would be to attempt a kind of coup. I wonder if they have a stomach for that. The withdrawal of the OMB order to me suggests they don't. Because bravado aside, Trump's political capital is thin. Gallup is Trump's approval rating at 47%. That is about 10 points beneath Joe Biden. In January of 2021, both in his first and his second terms, he entered office with approval ratings below that of any other president in the modern era. And so I thought these defenses of Trump's firings were telling.
Mike Davis
It is the belief of this White House and the White House Counsel's office that the President was within his executive authority to do that.
Ezra Klein
The law says he's supposed to give 30 days notice.
Lindell
He didn't do that.
Natalie Winters
Do you think he violated the law?
Steve Bannon
Well, technically, yeah.
Mike Davis
Do you believe that it's legal by definition?
Natalie Winters
It's his administration. They work for him at the pleasure of the president. And if it's illegal, it should be legal.
Ezra Klein
So then ask yourself, why isn't Trump trying to make it legal? There is a reason Trump is doing all this through executive orders rather than submitting these same directives as legislation to pass through Congress. A more powerful executive could convince Congress to eliminate the spending he opposes, or to reform the civil service to give him the powers of hiring and firing that he seeks. And there's a good reason to do that. To write these changes into legislation would make them both more durable and would allow him to argue their merits in a more strategic way. He would be reforming the entire system. But Republicans, at the moment, they have only a three seat edge in the House, smallest majority since the Great Depression. They have a 53 seat majority in the Senate. Trump is obviously doing nothing to reach out to Democrats. If Trump tried to pass this agenda's legislation, it would fail. And that would make Trump look weak. And Trump. Trump doesn't want to look weak. He remembers John McCain humiliating him in his first term by casting the deciding vote against Obamacare appeal. Congress is a place where you can lose. What Trump wants you to see in all this activity is command. What is really in all this activity is chaos. They have convinced themselves that speed and force is a strategy unto itself. That it is, in a sense, a replacement for an actual strategy for thinking and talking things through, for consultation, for planning things out. Don't believe them. I had a conversation a couple months ago with someone who knows how the federal government works about as well as anyone alive and asked him what would worry him most if he saw Trump doing it. What he said was he would worry most if Trump went slowly, if he began his term by doing things that made him more popular, that made his opposition weaker and more confused, if he worked by stealth, if he tried to build strength for the midterms while slowly expanding his powers and chipping away at the state in the places where it was weakest, where people couldn't really see him doing it. But Trump didn't do any of that. Instead, muzzle velocity. And so the opposition to Trump, which seemed so listless and absent after the election, now it's beginning to rouse itself. There's a subreddit for federal employees where one of the top posts reads, this non buyout really seems to have backfired. I'll be honest, before that email went out, I was looking for any way to get out of this fresh hell. But now I'm fired up to make these goons as frustrated as possible. As I write this, it's been upvoted more than 39,000 times, and civil servant after civil servant is echoing the initial sentiment. In Iowa this week, Democrats flipped a state Senate seat in a district that Trump had won easily in 2024. The attempted spending freeze gave Democrats their voice back as they zeroed in on the popular programs Trump had imperiled. Trump isn't building support here. He's losing it. Trump isn't fracturing his opposition, he's finally uniting it. This is the weakness of the strategy that Bannon proposed and that Trump is following. It is a strategy that forces you into overreach. To keep the zone flooded. You have to keep acting. You have to keep moving.
Lindell
You have to.
Ezra Klein
You have to keep creating new cycles of outrage or fear to keep the media and the opposition overwhelmed. But then you overwhelm yourself. They are flooding their own zone. I don't know that Trump sees his own fork in the road coming. He may believe he's a power he is claiming that would be a mistake on his part. It would be a self deception that could doom his presidency. But the real threat is if he convinces the rest of us to believe he has power he does not have. The first two weeks of his presidency have not shown his strength. He is trying to overwhelm you. He is trying to keep you off balance. He is trying to convince you of something that isn't true. Don't believe him.
Steve Bannon
This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going to medieval on these people. You just not got a free shot. All these networks lying about the people, the people have had a belly full of it. I know you don't like hearing that. I know you try to do everything in the world to stop that, but you're not going to stop it.
Natalie Winters
It's going to happen.
Ezra Klein
And where do people like that go to share the big lie? MAGA media I wish in my soul.
Natalie Winters
I wish that any of these people had a conscience.
Steve Bannon
Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.
Lindell
War room here's your host, Stephen K. Banner.
Natalie Winters
Welcome. It's Thursday 6February, year of our Lord 2025. Wanted to play that from Ezra Klein right there. They understand flood the zone and how they're trying to combat it by focus, focus, focus. They're still getting overwhelmed and they will continue to be overwhelmed because President Trump is taking actions in every different vertical and pushing the, in pushing the envelope here. Later we have Ben Berkwam and Benson on about the deportations effort and going after the cartels effort. President Trump also signs or Pam Bondi, I think he signs an executive order with Pam Bond. He's going to hit up a task force to make sure the government doesn't have any anti Christian bias. And that's gonna be quite interesting. But today we're getting a beat back in federal court. President Trump then I think put the entire USAID on leave. So there's a lot going on. Do I have Natalie? Is Natalie up at the, is she up at the White House yet? We're trying to get this up. Okay, can we go there? Not. Fine, I'll keep, I'll keep it right here. We're good. There we go. Natalie. So you heard the open right there. They understand the flood the zone strategy. They're trying to fight back. A lot of this taking place in federal court. Of course, all of your embeds in the federal government are fighting back and leaking. Folks should understand this is the White House has got pedaled down and no break, things are coming out.
Mike Davis
Everything.
Natalie Winters
President Trump gave a great brief to the press on his populous tax cuts. We'll get to that. Natalie, give us a sense of the White House, how's it going and particularly on the resistance, ma'am, to Flood the zone.
Mike Davis
Yes. Well, I'm always honored to sit in that press briefing room and have a front row seat, not just to the press briefings, but more importantly to the resistance, which, of course is, I think, the bedrock of it becoming more and more each day the mainstream media. Before we get into all the lawsuits, I guess we should say the law fair. I just want to give, I guess it's a little bit of an exclusive, put our audience inside the room. As I was getting ready to come out here and do this hit, I have to say, it was really, I mean, from my perspective, a glorious feeling going on in that press briefing room. But every single mainstream media journalist looked so dejected. I was listening to their conversations. They're all so tired. They're like, I don't even know how to cover this. I think the quote of the day has to be, it's just all dismantling. It's dismantling everything. And I wanted to turn to him and say, well, yes, exactly. And that's what the American people elected President Trump to do. But in terms of pushing back against this dismantling, getting into the serious stuff, I think today, I think last night was, was really the most intense I've ever seen MSNBC really engage with the resistance. Even saying that word, which sort of wasn't really spoken out loud all that often, saying it explicitly. And that's because today on various verticals, you've seen the lawfare that they've been planning and pooling for a while sort of come to fruition. Obviously, we hit the Department of Labor lawsuit earlier today, keeping Doge kind of preemptively out of their hair. Obviously, treasury, with the exception of two individuals having read only access to what's going on up in treasury with Scott Bessant. That was what we covered this morning. But since then, about an hour before we came to air the infamous buyout offer. Right. The fork in the road email, a district Judge here in D.C. a Clinton appointee stepped in and essentially said that we won't be able to roll that out. They're going to have an additional hearing on Monday.
Natalie Winters
Natalie, hang on one second. We're going to take a short commercial and come back. The resistance in federal court with certain administrative judges. President Trump still keeping the pedal down, signing executive orders, taking executive actions. All next in the war room.
Steve Bannon
Have you seen the news from economists forecasting a depression? I'm not talking recession, I mean depression. By the year 2030. We're in a perfect storm as Social Security and Medicare hit a breaking point. With the largest generation hitting retirement, a smaller workforce means a smaller tax base. Pair that with our growing national debt and rising cost of living and you got a problem. And I mean a big problem. So what are you going to do now to protect your family for the future? Gold is a safe haven in hard economic times, and Birch Gold makes it easy to diversify a portion of your savings into physical gold. Birch Gold will help you Transition an existing IRA or 401k into an IRA in gold, and it doesn't cost you a penny out of pocket. Protect your future and protect it today. Text Bannon B A N N O N to 989-898. Get your free info kit on Gold and a copy of the Ultimate Gold Guide for the Trump Era. That's the ultimate Gold Guide for Gold in the Trump Era with Forward by Donald J. Trump Jr. There's no obligation. This is only information. Birch Gold has earned the trust of countless Americans looking to safeguard their savings. You can count on them, too. Text my name, Bannon, to number 989898. Remember, the ultimate guide for Investing in Gold in the Trump Era. Forward by Don junior Birch Gold. Do it today.
Unknown
Johnson has put a temporary stop on President Trump and Elon Musk's attempt to buy out the federal workforce, ruling that both the administration and the labor unions who brought the suit need more time to brief their arguments, meaning that until next hearing, the next hearing, which is, by the way, scheduled for Monday, all employees who may have taken the buyout must be told the offer is blocked until at least next week. There are some major questions, though, about what's going to happen after that. First and foremost, whether the offer is legal, but also even if it is, whether the government has the money to fund the buyouts. After all, Congress has not allocated any money to for that purpose and there is still a looming fight over a shutdown.
Natalie Winters
One of the members of the engine room just, you know, said, hey, look what Trump's is kind of blitzkrieg. It's to overwhelm and develop and continue to move on, not stop bang, bang, bang. Natalie. And these people are smart and they're particularly using what they've got, which is media, which they've been a little bit overwhelmed, but also to use the courts now and to use your brilliant term, the in beds that infest infest this government. Of the two and a half million civilian. I think we got 40,000. Was it 40,000 takes on the buyout? Was that the number?
Mike Davis
I think it was about 2% of the entire Workforce, I think we need to add at least another zero to that. I guess maybe, hey, the silver lining of postponing this till Monday is that I guess more people can sign on. But to go back to this concept of embed, Steve, because I think that really gets to the heart of it, right? The concept of civil society, but most importantly, civil service and civil servants at that, right? That was sort of the cornerstone of their resistance since they lack any institutional power right now. And the group that actually sued to stop this fork in the road email memo was actually Democracy Forward, the group that we've been talking about extensively. The consortium of over 200 resistance type groups you got, the ACLU is the SPLC, every, you know, woke group that exists under the sun and probably is receiving your taxpayer dollars. But they all represent and basically create this group called Democracy Forward. But remember, the first step that they took when they set up this new group was to create something called Civil Service Strong. And it was a very activist approach. I always described as sort of the impeachment that could have been. Right. They were instructing federal service, federal servants to basically become whistleblowers. How they could best do that, how they could best file lawsuits themselves citing discrimination. And I think, frankly, Steve, the best and most interesting, frankly, insightful part of the whole Democracy Forward operation is that one of their board members was actually a doj, career civil servant under both Biden and President Trump in the voting rights division. And I think that that speaks to the concept of embed with rather metaphorical significance that the same guy who wants to now make the case that all of these civil servants are not doing anything to oppose President Trump's legislative agenda, well, that's now the very same guy who's on the board of the organization suing President Trump for trying to rid his administration of peace, people just like him. But I will say a bright spot today. Obviously there was a lot of outrage. I was going to say media outrage, but I think not from the outlets that are just a few feet away from me because they're all on the take from usaid. But President Trump ordered GSA to rescind any federal funding, subscriptions or otherwise going to outlets including, but not limited to, because they're investigating it, Politico, the BBC and the New York Times. So maybe that's why they're the long faces in that press briefing room.
Natalie Winters
Talk about the morale at the White House. I mean, these folks are working now seven days a week, 18 hour days. I understand the euphoria when you first get there the intensity. But they're under onslaught. They're getting, you know, they're getting the bad looks from the media. And it's, as you know, the right White House briefing room, which is still right there. It's not moved over to eob, is right in the middle of things. What's that? What's the energy you're seeing from EOB and from the West Wing? What's the energy, the intensity? How are we doing?
Mike Davis
Well, frankly, I think Doge needs to get to work in the press briefing room, but I'll leave that aside for a second. Look, I think that what it has come down to, obviously they have embeds, they've done the burrowing in of all the civil or the presidential appointments under President Biden, turning them into career civil servants. They've tried to mount the best resistance that they can. But unfortunately, and, you know, we are not, shall we say, sunshine soldiers. We are winter soldiers here in the war room. We call shots, we call balls and strikes. Every person, for the most part, you know, there's always some issues. But who has been appointed under President Trump, I think, particularly at the Department of Justice, has been an absolute killer. And I think that there's, if you really get down to it, a certain level of agency and autonomy that a lot of these individuals have in terms of feeling comfortable to actually push back and carry out their own mandate. That I think, if you really get to the core of it, much like the resistance is very systemic, well thought out and well planned. I know you aren't allowed to say the words Project 2025, but this is a resistance, a sort of pro Trump resistance that's been being planned for a very, very long time. Right. We had four years to plan this. And I think what you're seeing is execution. And I know the comm shop has been working over time to really message and push back against a lot of the smears coming from the mainstream media. I think one point, an example that really showcases this, is that the mainstream media is trying to take a bunch of laps and dunk, not just on the White House, but on the sort of, you know, ex brigade, saying that, oh, well, some of the grants that you guys have identified, they're actually not coming from usaid, but rather they're coming from the State Department. And I think that that logic, Steve, actually proves why President Trump's federal funding freeze needs to be implemented, because it's not just usaid. There is something rotten within the entire entirety of this government. And I think President Trump and like, I Said the Twitter researchers, the Twitter investigators, the Doge people are really getting to the bottom of it. And it's. It really is firing on all cylinders. And like I said, Steve, the real tell. I wish the audience. I would do anything I could to bring you guys inside that room with me. They're an absolute meltdown. I believe I heard everyone say, I can't believe it's not Friday yet. I can't believe the week's not over. It feels like we've been here for months. It feels like this is the longest week ever. It's just about dismantling. How do we cover it? And then another quote. I don't think, you know, the people want to read about all these stories about these random agencies being shut down. And I was like, no, we do, and we're going to.
Natalie Winters
Well, this is what deconstruction administrative state is. Right? They're seeing it right now. That is going through. No, but I think going through and looking at the numbers and what Elon's doing that regard is, is. Is very powerful. And obviously with USAID and others, I'll talk in a little while about. I think we got to start getting serious about where we're going to have the big cuts, because the 14th of March is not going to go away. And that's when the government runs out of money. Last thing before I let you go, Ezra Klein. This thing is going super viral on the left with the indivisible group Democracy Forward. The media, they feel Ezra Klein's given them a. A way forward, particularly that Trump really doesn't have any power. He has the projection of power. And if they just pick, if they don't go after everything, as we keep saying here, focus is power. Focus is power. They're trying to say the same mantra, to pick and choose where you fight Trump. Do you believe that? As you see it, the left is. The left is picking that up right now.
Mike Davis
Kind of sounds like the foil to Curtis Yarvin. You know, I don't. I don't necessarily. I can't put myself in the mindset or the shoes of the resistance types, but as someone who has read, I think, every pamphlet available in terms of what they're telling their audience, I attend all their town halls. I watch all of the rhetoric that they're putting out there. I think truly, Steve, part of it is cope, right? They need the idea that what they can do actually has some effect. Effect. And I think up until yesterday, their efforts to push back through the media were really not all that successful. I think today they've started to see some legal and lawfare victories, albeit temporary. Right. They're not the permanent injunctions that they're pushing for. So we'll see how that works out when President Trump's team actually has the opportunity to push back. But this mindset of civil society, I think the biggest lie, frankly, Steve Big pushed on sort of the grassroots left right now is that they actually have a voice in the resistance movement. Because this is something that's not happening.
Natalie Winters
Right.
Mike Davis
That's sort of the, I think, juxtaposition of our show versus the left wing grassroots. Right. Our resistance is driven by the people who viewed this show and it's against the party elites. Democrat resistance is driven by the party elites, oftentimes against their own grassroots. But the grassroots, what they want to see come from the party. The more populous left wing stuff they're never going to get. So they're sort of fighting for a Pyrrhic victory.
Natalie Winters
Right.
Mike Davis
They're only fighting to make democratic power brokers and elites kind of have that institutional power. It's the people like Norm Eisen, it's the Victoria Newlands, it's the regime change people who are really focused on this. And frankly, Steve, I don't even think the paradigm, much like you always say, is necessarily Democrat, Republican. You're talking about usaid. You're talking about an existential threat, not just to Democrats, but to the sort of just Neo Con, for lack of a better world word, world order. That in the same way it sure, it's the Soros groups too, but it's also the International Republican Institute that thinks that we need to be the world's policeman. So it's an interesting thing that we're definitely going to be tracking here. But I think the audience just needs to remember groups like Indivisible Democracy Forward, Democracy 2025 and of course, Democracy Docket. Mark Elias, his group. These are what we need to be focusing on. Don't get lost with the shiny toys. That's the hotbed of resistance.
Natalie Winters
Natalie, very proud of the work you're doing. The one person is kind of trying to coordinate all this and see, it's just amazing. So where do people go for your social media?
Mike Davis
Thank you. Natalie G. Winters on all social media platforms. Thank you for having me. And thank, thank you to the audience for letting me stand inside that really depressed briefing room.
Natalie Winters
So great. They're depressed. They're depressed for all the right reasons, ma'am. Deconstructing the administrative state. Natalie Winters at the White House want to thank real America's voice. Want to thank President Trump's White House comms team. Want to thank Susie Wilds, the chief of staff, everybody, for making that available. I think, I think we're making good use of it. Mike Davis is going to join us. I want to make sure that we understand the legal, the chop blocks. They're coming after us. And also Cash Patel little drama there today with Cash. Some great news on a executive order to make sure there's no bias at Christianity or Christians in the government. Catherine O'Neill worked at the State Department. Trying to get her on the talk about that. That was her line of work. Birch Gold president put a populous tax policy this afternoon. You're going to love him. We're not all the way there, but man, he is really throwing down hard. Birchgold.com Bannon go check it out today. Talk to Philip Patrick and the team. Mike Davis next.
Steve Bannon
While we may have won this election, the fight to restore our great nation is only beginning. Now is the time to take a stand and Patriot Mobile is leading the charge. Only America's Christian conservative wireless provider, Patriot Mobile offers a way to vote with your wallet without compromising on quality or convenience. Patriot Mobile isn't just about providing exceptional cell phone service. It's a call to action to defend our rights and our freedoms. With Patriot Mobile, you get outstanding nationwide coverage because they operate on all three major networks. If you have a cell phone service today, you can get cell phone service with Patriot Mobile with a coverage guarantee. But the difference is every dollar you spend supports the first and Second Amendments, the sanctity of life and our veterans and first responders. Switching is easy. Keep your number, keep your phone or upgrade. Their 100% US based customer service support team will help you find the perfect plan. Now, right now, go to patriotmobile.com Bannon or call 972 Patriot. So call 972 Patriot or go to patriotmobile.com Bannon. You get a free month of service. That's a free month with promo code. Bannon switch to Patriot Mobile today and defend freedom with every call and text you make. Visit patriotmobile.com bannon or call 972 Patriot. Remember, you get a free month of service. Do it today.
Lindell
Here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.
Natalie Winters
Okay, President Trump's tax policies. I'll get that tweet here in a second or the true story. People have been tweeting it out. Basically, President Trump reconfirmed. No tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. He's going to do away with carried interest. He's going to do away with any kind of tax breaks for billionaires owned sports teams. It's pretty powerful. More about manufacturing tax breaks for manufacturing here. Pretty incredible. Great first start. I mean pushing this through. And the big one was no tax on Social Security. Which means we've got to all the doers out there, time now to stop failing and trying to change the subjects. Where are your cuts? We need to do what we need to do is the trillion dollars you promised us. So where are they? Maybe they're south of the Potomac. I think they might be in the Pentagon, some of them and some of them may be in SpaceX. Just saying. We're going to get to all that a little later. Mike davis, LAWFARE Legal the chop block in President Trump. So just give an objective. They're hitting us with lawsuits everywhere, state level, federal level. What's working and what's not and what's the mindset we have to have to power through to power through these lawsuits?
Lindell
President Trump ran on a campaign of bringing this much needed reform to Washington, D.C. including cutting wasteful spending, ending the weaponization of intel agencies and law enforcement, ending discrimination against women and girls in sports and in locker rooms, against the anti Christian bias. President Trump is delivering on what the American people elected him to do. And he is using his article to power under the Constitution to do this. And so the people who don't like this are running to these activist judges and getting temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions to stop this. And I would advise the Trump Justice Department to move forward boldly and aggressively and seek expedited review by the appellate courts and use the emergency dockets at the Supreme Court aggressively if you have to. For these activist judges who are trying to stop the president from asserting his article to power. Let me give you an example. We had a judge, a Reagan appointed judge in the D.C. district Court, Judge Royce Lamberth, who was a pain in the ass on January 6th. He's this old decrepit judge who barely can walk, as Julie Kelly will talk about. He should just step down from the bench. He issued an injunction, I think it was yesterday, saying that it's cruel and unusual punishment under the eighth Amendment to the Constitution to not give prisoners their transgender pills and surgeries, which is just absolutely insane. And it's these activist judges, whether it's left wing judges appointed by Obama or Biden or these washed up weak Republican judges from our, from a prior era, we cannot tolerate this. We need to get these appellate courts to Step up and slap down these activist judges with their nationwide injunctions, which I don't understand how, who are, how are constitutional. And get the Supreme Court again to step in on the emergency docket if we have to.
Natalie Winters
Okay, hang on for one second. I want to. Are you saying you want the Justice Department, that you're gonna see activist judges all over at the first line at the district level, you want the Justice Department now to expedite and go above that to appellate court? Let's get some rulings on this and just clear the path. Right? Just clear the path and get back to it. Is that, is that your recommendation?
Lindell
Absolutely. Aggressively seek emergency relief from the appellate courts. Emergency relief from the Supreme Court of the United States on the emergency docket. And I would say at the Article 3 project. I am so sick of the D.C. district Court. I'm disgusted by it. I'm disgusted by what they did to these January 6th defendants. So we're gonna come up with legislation at the Article 3 project to rein in the D.C. district Court, this D.C. district Court that politically persecuted January 6th, the defendants, this D.C. district court that's a 75 year old Christian in prison under the face act, this D.C. district court that politicized and weaponized our justice system to go after Trump. This is unacceptable. And these D.C. district Court judges need to get reined in. There needs to be oversight by the House and Senate Judiciary Committee, Oversight Committee, Appropriation committee, and we need to pass legislation to take away the power to take away the jurisdiction, to take away the power from these D.C. district court judges. They are a bunch of partisan activists from, again, from Obama or Biden or they are weak, feckless Republicans and it's unacceptable. And there needs to be consequences. And we're going to push very hard at the Article 3 project for that to happen.
Natalie Winters
On another topic, you're the Article three projects because you deal with the courts as you look at this, given that you clerk for Gorsuch, as you look at this on anything you've seen Doge doing today. And look, Elon's out there and I want him to focus more on real cuts. But he's doing his line diagram for the system. He's trying to. He's got his guys everywhere. And you got President Trump doing executive orders and Mike Johnson looks like he's agreeing with him. He's speaker of the House John Thune. Seems like the Senate's fine with it. Do you see any constitutional conflict between the Article 1 powers and the Article 2 powers of the executive branch as you See it right now, any real, any real kind of conflict or crisis.
Lindell
No, I mean, Congress has the power to legislate and the President under Article 2 has the power to faithfully execute our laws and he has to take care that they are executed in an appropriate way. And when you have, for example, a federal agency like USAID that is subverting our national security interests, that's funding BLM right through the Tide foundation, that goes to BLM so they can do their riots, that's funding our enemies abroad, that's a big problem. And the President, when you're dealing with an agency that has foreign policy implications, then the President has more power as commander in chief to do more than he does with domestic agencies. So I am all in on cutting wasteful government spending and doing it in any way that you legally can do it. Because it's refreshing to finally have a Republican administration that's not part of the uniparty, that actually wants to go in and cut spending in Washington D.C. republicans have been talking about doing this for decades. Newt Gingrich tried it back in 1998, they tried it for a couple of years, and then Republicans went back to being big spending, drunken sailors with the Democrats. And it's nice to have an attitude adjustments with President Trump this time coming in and actually trying to take a hammer to these government agencies. For example, the New York Times is reporting that USAID, this is breaking news that USAID, which has 10,000 employees, the Trump administration, according to three sources, is looking to cut that down from 10,000 to 290 employees. So those are the types of things the Trump administration can do to rein in these out of control agencies that are wasting hundreds of billions of dollars of American taxpayer money every year.
Natalie Winters
The other thing that's breaking right now, he has said that they're putting all of the, all of the usaid, I think, on leave, on temporary leave. Can the executive branch, in the unified theory of the executive, does he have the power, one, to basically send him on some sort of temporary leave? Number two, does he have the power, does he have to go back to Congress in the appropriations process? Does he have the power to go from 10,000 to 290, sir?
Lindell
Well, it's amazing. For four years these federal bureaucrats, five years these federal bureaucrats threw a fit and got to work from home because of COVID And then President Trump brings them back to work and they're throwing a fit that they get brought back to work. And now President Trump's gonna send these USAID people back home and they're crying again. So, you know, I'm not sure which one, which way they want to go. Do they want to come into the office and work, or do they want to stay home? But does President Trump have that power?
Steve Bannon
Sure.
Lindell
Under Article 2 of the Constitution, the President runs the executive branch. He's the head of the executive branch, and he gets to hire and fire people. And statutes that prevent the president from hiring and firing federal executive branch employees are unconstitutional under Article 2 of the Constitution.
Natalie Winters
This, a lot of this is pushing towards impoundment. Do you think that pay a Letta or somebody at omb, we just sort of get on with it? Because this is about the president saying, hey, I understand this appropriations process. I understand that's a law, Understand that's a statute, but that's a ceiling. And if that's a ceiling, I'm the chief executive of the government by the Constitution, if I deem that the program is not hitting, is not doing what it's supposed to do, I can go in and take that. I can go say there's no more Green New scam or no more USAID and there's $30 billion around. I can lay my hands on that and do something else with it, or just have it pay down the deficit. Do you think that pay a Letta and vote and others, maybe the White House counsel or people over at DOJ ought to start teeing up and let's go for. Let's go force the impoundment issue right now.
Lindell
I love Mark Payoletta and I love Russ Votes. This empowerment thing got President Trump impeached in the first term. So what the hell, let's do it again. Let's get him impeached for the third time. But, you know, I mean, if you think about it, think about what the opposition to this is saying. You had, what, $180 billion go to Ukraine. And Zelensky and Zelensky said, well, I didn't get $100 billion of that $180 billion. So where the hell did that $100 billion go? And if the president doesn't have the Article 2 power to take care of that $100 billion is not sent to an oligarch's rat's nest, then we might have a problem. Under our Constitution, the President has a constitutional obligation to take care that the laws are faithfully executed, and that includes appropriations by Congress. And if these appropriations are being misspent, if there's fraud, then the President has a duty to make sure that doesn't happen.
Natalie Winters
We talked about this. On Friday, it was happening. What happened at the FBI on the J6 investigation, what happened at DOJ with the laying off of these, some of these prosecutors I talked to you about, hey, do you think they're going to try to come back and get another day with Cash? It turns out today instead of coming in for a vote, they went in high dungeon and said, we have to kick it a week, we need more investigation. And Durbin and these guys want to go next week. What is your assessment of where we stand, the process with Cash Patel?
Lindell
I was the chief counsel for nominations on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the first term for President Trump Chairman Chuck Grassley, my former boss, is the perfect person to lead President Trump's Justice Department nominees and judges through the process like he did the first time. Cash Patel, as we know, is a controversial pick. He says Mike Davis level stuff when he goes on his podcast. And Chuck Grassley has got him through this Senate Judiciary Committee process unscathed. Right. And so what happened is the Democrats wanted to open up another hearing like they always do. Chuck Grassley told them no, appropriately. And with this one week holdover, this is routine. I know people are freaking out about this today. This is part of the Senate Judiciary Committee rules that nominees go get nominated. They have pre, pre hearing stuff that they have to do paperwork they have to submit, meetings they have to do. They have their hearing, which we did two Wednesdays ago with Cash Patel, and then they have written questions after their hearing, which Cash has responded to and submitted. Then you have two markup meetings where they debate the nomination. The first one they debate, generally they hold over the nominee for another week, which they just did today. And then they had the, the mark, the committee vote, the markup vote, the following, which, which following week, which they'll do next Thursday. This is all routine. Chuck Grassley has this under control. And Cash Patel will be our next FBI director because of Grassley. Strong support.
Natalie Winters
Mike, quick break. I want to bring you back for a minute about the Christian executive next.
Steve Bannon
Health isn't just a personal issue. It's a family issue, a community issue. We're living in unpredictable times. Supply chains can break down, hospitals can get overwhelmed. And let's not even start on the natural disasters. These aren't hypotheticals. They're happening. You see it here in the war room and we all know it. The question is simply, are you ready? That's where Jace comes in. This isn't just a kit. This is a Jace case. It's a lifeline. It's a personal supply of prescribed emergency medications that puts the power back in your hands. Whether it's an unexpected illness or a global disruption of supply chains, you can act fast and protect yourself and your loved ones. This February, show them you care in a way that really matters. Be prepared. Get the Jace case today so you'll have the right meds on hand the moment you need them. Visit jacemedical.com and use the code Bannon B A N N o N at checkout for a discount on your order. That's jacemedical.com promo code Bannon. Get the Jace case and do it today.
Lindell
Here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
Natalie Winters
Mike Davis. So over with Pam Bondi and doj. She's going to be in charge of a task force to go through and see if there's any bias or any prejudice against Christians or Christianity in the federal government. How in your mind, how would that work?
Lindell
Well, President Trump issued an executive order today calling on these agency heads to establish a working group. And Pam's gonna chair Attorney General. Pam Bondi is gonna chair that working group. And their job is to root out this anti Christian bias that we have throughout our executive branch. It's so pervasive, they don't even try to hide it. And they're gonna make clear that Christians are welcomed into the public square and any anti Christian bias is going to be eliminated immediately and dealt with appropriately. The war on Christians and frankly, the war on Christians and Jews is over under the Trump administration.
Natalie Winters
Mike, Article 3. Now more than ever, we got to get up. The second round of nominations are coming. We got a huge tractor pulled in front because they're slowing everything down. Russ, vote. His vote tonight's not going to come until later. You've got cash, obviously, and all the second and third tier people that really make things run. Where do they go for Article 3 and how do they sign up for your program?
Lindell
Article 3project.org. Article number 3project. You can donate there. You can follow us on social media. The most important thing the war room posse does is take action. And it's up on your screen right now. We have Cash Patel. We have rfk. We have Tulsi. We're going to have Todd Blanche as the deputy Attorney general. Harmeet Dillon to head the civil rights division. Gail Slater to run the antitrust division. President Trump is bringing in bold, fearless reformers. And these senators have gotten an attitude adjustment from the war room posse. We've done nearly 200,000 contacts to our home state senators and we're getting President Trump's Nominees across the finish line, including Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi and others. We're going to keep going at the Article 3 project until every one of these nominees is confirmed. And we're going to be with President Trump at the Article 3 project with the War Room Posse every second of every day for the next four years.
Natalie Winters
Amen. Social media late at night. Your Twitter feed is. Is enlightening.
Lindell
It's. You can go to MRD D M I A. MRD D M I A. And that's where I'm coming in hot. Particularly after 9pm I don't know what happens to me then. I turn into a monster.
Natalie Winters
I don't know what happens to you either. I think the smoking lamp may be lit. I have no idea. But it's enlightening on the dark night of the soul. Let's say that. Mike Davis, we love you, brother.
Lindell
Keep going. Thank you.
Natalie Winters
So, Lindell, what does it tell us that the President, United States. I want to think about this for a second. The President of the United States in a nation that was formed as the New Jerusalem, has to sign on the 6th of February in the year of our Lord 2025, has to sign an executive order that says a working group of department heads and led by the Attorney General of these United States underneath him, kind of his deputy chief law enforcement officer, to make sure they go through a six and a half trillion dollar federal government in spending and probably 80 to 100 trillion dollars in assets in every aspect of American life with 10 million employees. Right. They have to go through to make sure they rid itself and report back to him on the bias against Christians and Christianity. What does that tell you, sir?
MyPillow CEO
Well, I'm living it, Steve. Let's start. I'm going to have Pam Bondi, I hope she's watching. Start with Keith Ellison, the Attorney General of Minnesota, attacking a Christian recovery network, the Lindell Recovery Network. Steve, they're going all in attacking that and for what? Because we want to help addicts and people in addiction get to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I mean, start with that guy. You can't, you can't make this stuff up. Why he. Why Christians are targeted. And boy, I praise the Lord that we have a great president that's going to address this. Because once we said it earlier today on the show this morning, you guys, we're in a spiritual battle of evil versus good, of historical biblical proportions. We're in the greatest time to be alive because we're living it. We're the ones that are gonna be pushing through and helping get rid of. We know how it ends. Good wins in the end and evil is gonna go down. But Steve, I lived that with Keith Ellison. It's been horrific these last couple months as he's attacked my Lindell Recovery Network and Christian Network. It's disgusting.
Natalie Winters
Real quickly, Mike, your fight against Ellison is getting epic proportions. And they're trying to shut down the Christian Network. That's what they're trying to do. His recovery Network. They're trying to shut it down. What do you got? What do you got for us as far as deals go at the end of the day?
MyPillow CEO
Well, you guys might. We still got the crosses. We're keeping them up to the War Room Posse, but we've got. You guys have all responded to the MyPillow 2.0 commemorative. If you've never tried one. We use these for everything. The multi use MyPillow $9.98. You got five to choose from. I'm very humble. The one that we hold in the flag is almost gone. Once they're gone, they are gone. And998. We want everyone at the War Room Plastic to get one or more the limit of 15. It's a strict limit of 15. Promo code.
Mike Davis
War room.
MyPillow CEO
Go to the website. We want everybody to get involved. You guys have done so much for helping my pillow in the country. There's the crosses. We're going to leave them up. This is a war room exclusive, saving 30% free shipping on your entire order. All the War Room Posse specials that are still there. And you guys have exclusives. And we just think. I know my employees and I thank you all every single day for supporting us when no others want. When there are others out there canceling us. The War Room Posse was there and my employees love to hear from you. 800-873-1062. You're going to get an a USA operator. Someone that will talk to you and help you and is behind helping our great nation.
Natalie Winters
You're the best, Lindell. We'll see you tomorrow morning. MyPillow.com promo code. War room room. Go check it out today with all the specials you only get from the MyPillow team. Okay? The right stuff is going to take us out the next hour. Catherine O'Neill was in the White House and President Trump he was. She was everywhere on the campaigns in the White House. She over the State Department worked this problem every day. This bias against Christianity and Christians. She's going to join us also. Ben Berkwam is. And Todd. Bensman Todd Bensman working on pieces right now about the kinetic activity that might come to the cartels. What is it really going to take to stop fentanyl? What is President Trump prepared to do? Also the Mexican president and Ben Berkwam. The ICE raids. Where are we going? Where are we headed? And how are you going to get 10 million people out of here? All important on a, on a Thursday, Action packed. There's the nation's capital right there. The right stuff. That's it. Short break. Back in the war room in a moment.
Steve Bannon
Hey, we're human. I don't always eat healthy. I know that's shocking. You don't always eat healthy either. That's why doctors created Field of Greens. A delicious glass of field of Greens daily is like nutritional armor for your body. Each fruit and vegetable was doctor selected for a specific health benefit. There's a heart health group, lungs and kidney groups, metabolism, even healthy weight. I love the energy I get with Field of Greens. I mean, I love it because I need it. But most of all, I love the confidence that even if I have a cheat day or a burger, I can enjoy guilt free because of field of Greens. It's the nutrition my body craves daily. It's the nutrition my body needs daily. And only field of greens makes you this better health promise. Your doctor will notice your improved health or your money back. Let me repeat that. Your doctor will notice your improved health or will give you your money back. Let me get you started with my special discount. I got you 20% off your first order. Just use code Bannon. That's B A N N o n@fieldofgreens.com that's code bannonieldofgreens.com for 20% off. Your body's gonna love it. You're gonna love it and we're gonna.
Natalie Winters
Love it here at the Worm. Cause we need you healthy, Kurt.
H
Human. Really trying to fill this gap of quality supplements. And of course, the beef liver being our flagship product. For those who don't know, beef liver is loaded with highly bioavailable ingredients such as vitamin A, B12, zinc CoQ10, etc. And because it is 100% grass fed and natural, your body is able to absorb these nutrients far better than taking any other synthetic multivitamin or any other synthetic vitamin in general. So we have some other amazing products, but if you'd like to check us out, you can go to sacredhumanhealth.com and cheers to your health.
Steve Bannon
700,000Americans every year. Yes, heart disease is the number one killer every year, year in and year out. Heart disease builds over time. Hypertension, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, diabetes, all of it affects our heart. A healthy heart is key to being energetic. As we get older, it is never too early to take care of your heart. You see, heart disease sneaks up on us. You can start in your 30s and when this happens, you're at serious risk by the time you turn 60. If you want to take care of your heart and those you care about, please go to war roomhealth.com that's war room health.com all one word war roomhealth.com use the code war room at checkout to save 67% of your first shipment. That's code war room at checkout to save sixty seven percent and do it again. War room health all one word war roomhealth.Com go there today. You need if you're going to be part of the posse, you need a strong heart. You need a lion's heart. How we're going to do that is with salty. Go there, do it today. Check it out.
Episode Summary: "The War On Christians Is Over Under The Trump Administration"
Bannon's War Room, Episode 4251
Release Date: February 7, 2025
In Episode 4251 of Bannon's War Room, the discussion centers around the strategies employed by President Trump's second administration to consolidate power and address what proponents describe as a "War on Christians." Hosted by WarRoom.org, the episode features insightful analysis from political commentator Ezra Klein, strategic commentary from Steve Bannon, and perspectives from key figures like Mike Davis and Natalie Winters. The episode delves into the administration's aggressive use of executive orders, legal battles in federal courts, and initiatives aimed at eliminating perceived biases against Christians within government institutions.
Steve Bannon elaborates on his strategy to overwhelm the opposition, primarily the media, with a barrage of executive actions to project an image of strength and decisive governance.
Ezra Klein analyzes this approach, emphasizing that by continuously introducing executive orders and policy changes, the administration aims to dominate the media narrative and minimize coherent opposition.
The administration's aggressive tactics have sparked significant legal opposition, often referred to as "lawfare." Mike Davis questions the legality of certain executive actions, highlighting a purge-like scenario within federal institutions.
Lindell discusses the belief within the White House that these executive actions are within presidential authority, despite legal challenges.
Ezra Klein cautions against the administration's projection of limitless power, noting the potential for constitutional crises if executive overreach continues unchecked.
The relentless pace of executive actions has begun to wear thin, with observable resistance re-energizing opposition groups and leading to political setbacks for the administration. Ezra Klein highlights how the strategy intended to project strength is revealing underlying weaknesses.
A notable example includes the flipping of a state Senate seat in Iowa, previously held by Trump, signaling a loss of support and effectiveness in the administration's approach.
A significant portion of the episode focuses on the administration's initiatives to combat what it perceives as anti-Christian bias within the federal government. Lindell explains the establishment of a task force led by Pam Bondi aimed at rooting out such biases.
Mike Davis underscores the importance of this initiative, portraying it as a critical effort to protect religious freedoms and ensure equitable treatment within government agencies.
Resistance to the administration's policies is mounting, with organizations like Democracy Forward mobilizing civil servants to challenge executive actions through litigation and whistleblowing.
Mike Davis discusses the systemic and well-planned nature of this resistance, highlighting the role of embedded activists within the civil service aimed at undermining and legally challenging the administration's directives.
The episode also touches upon President Trump's tax policies, which aim to reduce burdens on workers while eliminating tax breaks deemed excessive or unfair.
Natalie Winters emphasizes these policies as part of the administration's broader economic reform agenda, positioning them as measures to protect and empower American workers and businesses.
The episode concludes with a cautionary note from Ezra Klein, urging listeners to recognize the difference between the perception of presidential power and its actual limits. He warns of the dangers posed by the administration's tactics of overwhelming the media and projecting unfounded strength, suggesting that this could lead to significant political and constitutional crises if left unchecked.
"We have to flood the zone every day. We hit them with three things, they'll bite on one, and we'll get all our stuff done." — Steve Bannon (00:13)
"The purge is happening, frankly." — Mike Davis (01:18)
"If you make people believe something is true, you make it likelier that it becomes true." — Ezra Klein (02:00)
"The war on Christians and frankly, the war on Christians and Jews is over under the Trump administration." — Lindell (45:37)
"Don't believe him. You can see this a few ways. Is Trump playing a part? Is he making a bet? Or is he triggering a crisis?" — Ezra Klein (09:34)
This episode of Bannon's War Room provides a deep dive into the machinations of the Trump administration's second term, exploring the interplay between executive power, legal resistance, and societal impact. Through strategic flooding of the media with executive actions and targeted initiatives like combating anti-Christian bias, the administration aims to reshape the federal landscape. However, as resistance mounts both legally and within public opinion, the sustainability and legality of these strategies remain under intense scrutiny.