
Episode 4422: META Sponsors The Press In DC; Structurally Dismembering Facebook ...
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Ezra Klein
The emergency is here. The crisis is now. It's not six months away. It's not another Supreme Court ruling from happening. It is happening now, maybe not to you, not yet, but to others, to real people whose names we know, whose stories we know. The president of the United States is disappearing people to an El Salvadoran prison for terrorists, a prison known by its initial c cot, a prison built for disappearance, a prison where there is no education or mediation or recreation, because it is a prison that does not intend to release its inhabitants back out into the world. It is a prison where the only way out, in the words of El Salvador's justice minister, is in a coffin.
Stephen K. Bannon
Sure, President. First and foremost, he was illegally in our country. He had been illegally in our country. And in 2019, two courts, an immigration court and an appellate immigration court ruled that he was a member of MS.13 and he was illegally in our country right now. It was a paperwork. It was additional paperwork had needed to be done. That's up to El Salvador. If they want to return him, that's not up to us. The Supreme Court ruled, President, that if as El Salvador wants to return him, this is international matters, foreign affairs. If they wanted to return him, we would facilitate it, meaning provide a plane.
Rachel Bovard
Yesterday in the Oval Office, administration officials made it very clear that El Salvador.
Mike Davis
Is responsible for Mr. Alberto Garcia. Yet El Salvador's president said, we're not.
Rachel Bovard
Going to do anything with him. So my question is, who is responsible for this man and where he's going to end up?
Mike Davis
Ms. Well, no. First of all, President Bukele said that he is not going to smuggle a foreign terrorist back into the United States of America, as many in this room in the Democrat Party seemingly want him to do. Abrego Garcia was a foreign terrorist. He is an MS.13 gang member. He was engaged in human trafficking. He illegally came into our country, and so deporting him back to El Salvador was always going to be the end result. There is never going to be a world in which this is an individual who's going to live a peaceful life in Maryland because he is a foreign terrorist and an MS.13 gang member. Not only have we confirmed that, President Bukele yesterday in the Oval Office confirmed that as well. So he went back to his home country, where he will face consequences for his gang affiliation and his engagement in human trafficking. I'm not sure what is so difficult about this for everyone in the media to understand, and it's appalling, truly appalling, that there has been so much time covering this alleged Human trafficker. And this gang member, Ms. 13 gang member. It's truly striking to me.
Unknown
Mentioned there's an illegal alien from El Salvador. So with respect to you, he's a citizen of El Salvador. So it's very arrogant even for American media to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens as a starting point, as two immigration courts found that he was a member of Ms. 13. When President Trump declared Ms. 13 to be a foreign terrorist organization, that meant that he was no longer eligible under federal law, which I'm sure you know you're very familiar with the ina, that he was no longer eligible for any form of immigration relief in the United States. So he had a deportation order that was valid, which meant that under our law, he's not even allowed to be present in the United States and had to be returned because of the foreign terrorist designation. This issue was then, by a district court judge, completely inverted. And a district court judge tried to tell the administration that they had to kidnap a citizen of El Salvador and fly him back here. That issue was raised to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court said the district court order was unlawful and its main components were reversed 90 unanimously stating clearly that neither Secretary of State nor the president could be compelled by anybody to forcibly retrieve a citizen of El Salvador from El Salvador, who, again, is a member of Ms. 13, which, as I'm sure you understand, rapes little girls, murders women, murders children, is engaged in the most barbaric activities in the world. And I can promise you, if he was your neighbor, you would move right away.
Ezra Klein
And from their perspective, maybe they're right. Because here's a scary thing that I think sits at least partially beneath their calculus politically. They cannot let Abrego Garcia out, nor any of the other people they sent to seekot without due process. Because what if he was released? What if he returned to the United States? What if he could tell his own story? What if, as seems quite likely, he's been brutalized and tortured by Trump's Salvadoran henchmen? Well, he can't be allowed to tell the American people that to the Trump administration, Abrego Garcia is not a mistake. He's a liability. And he's a test. A test of their power to do this to anyone. A test of whether the loophole they believe they have found. A loophole where if they could just get you on a plane, then they can hustle you beyond our laws and leave you in the grips of the kind of gulags they wish that they.
Stephen K. Bannon
Had here does that include potentially U.S. citizens? Fully. Naturally.
Ezra Klein
They're not ashamed of this. They're not denying their desire to do it to more people.
Stephen K. Bannon
Yeah, that includes them. What do you think? There's a special category of person. They're as bad as anybody that comes in. We have bad ones, too, and I'm all for it, because we can do things with the president for less money and have great security.
Ezra Klein
We are not even 100 days into this administration, and we are already faced with this level of horror. And I can feel the desire to look away from it, even in me. What all this demands is too inconvenient, too disruptive. But Trump has said it all, plainly and publicly. He intends to send those he hates to foreign prisons beyond the reach of US Law. He does not care. He will not even seek to discover if those he is sending into these foreign hells are guilty of what he claims, because this is not about their guilt. It is about his power. This is how dictatorships work. Trump has always been clear about who he is and the kind of power he wants, and now he's using that power, and everyone around him is defending his right to wield that power.
Stephen K. Bannon
The foreign policy of the United States.
Ezra Klein
Is conducted by the President of the United States, not by a court. And no court in the United States.
Stephen K. Bannon
Has a right to conduct a foreign.
Ezra Klein
Policy of the United States.
Stephen K. Bannon
It's that simple.
Mike Davis
Mr. President, you wanted people to know.
Stephen K. Bannon
That there was consequences. If you break our laws and harm.
Mike Davis
Our people and endanger families, and this.
Stephen K. Bannon
Is a clear consequence for the worst of the worst, that we have somewhere to put them.
Ezra Klein
If President Donald Trump decides that you are to rot in a foreign prison, then that is his right. And you, you have no rights. And if he is capable of that, if he wants that, then what else is he capable of? What else does he want? And if the people who serve him are willing to give him that, to defend his right to do that, what else will they give him? What else will they defend? This. This is the emergency. Like it or not, it's here.
Unknown
Look, the American people voted for this. American people voted for Donald Trump. This is number one issue. Vast majority of Americans want illegal aliens removed from this country. And it's done humanely. However, we got to remember this. There are millions of people standing in line, taking their tests, doing their background investigation, paying their fees to be part of the greatest nation on earth. They're sitting in the back seat while 10.5 men, illegal aliens, came to this border, enter this country illegally, which is a violation of law. There's right wing and right way to come to this country legally. The people who came across, they call them asylum seekers. But you and I both know if you look at the immigration court data, nine out of 10 of those so called asylum seekers will end up with the order of removal. They overwhelm the system on purpose. Why? Because they know it's going to take five, seven, nine years to have a hearing, which they will lose. But now they have US citizen kids, now they own equities. Now there may be Democratic administration in power which award amnesty. They're playing the long game. But we're enforcing laws as an act of by Congress which you are a member of. We're not making this up. We're enforcing laws on the books, including the Alien Enemies act, which is act created by Congress. We're simply using the laws on the books to make this country safe again.
Stephen K. Bannon
Deport all undocumented immigrants. Voters favoring the government trying to deport all 11 million of them. Back in 2016, just 38% of voters wanted the government to try to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants compared to where we are in 2025, 56% the majority. The American people have come a long way on this issue, much closer to Donald Trump. And I think that's a big part of the reason why Americans are increasingly saying the country is on the right track when it comes to immigration policy and why Donald Trump's net approval rating on that issue is in the positive. This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people. I 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. It's going to happen. And where do people like that go.
Ezra Klein
To share the big lie?
Stephen K. Bannon
MAGA Media I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience. Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.
Jack Posobiec
War Room here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.
Stephen K. Bannon
It's Friday, the 18th of April, year of our Lord 2025. It is good Friday. It's also the eve of the 250th anniversary of Lexington and Concord. We're going to be getting into all that today. Right there. The crisis is here. That's Ezra Klein, one of the most sophisticated I guess pollsters, observers, commenters, public intellectual, author of the new book Abundance that's kind of trying to drive the Democratic agenda. I shouldn't say Democrat. The progressive left, globalist agenda I want to bring in. So we've got a whole raft of serious people here at the start. I want to start with Mike Davis. Mike, you see the bid and the ask right there. And this is why I say there's. You can't. This is an unbridgeable gap. Right. The mag of people, the majority of the country think one asset, have one thought about national security, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, the protecting our citizens. And the left has a very different one. Ezra Klein. So, so give me your assessment of this because this is now what they're going to be driving that a crisis is here. They've chosen and at the time, Ezra Klein saying, hey, he's being tortured, he's being raped down there. That's horrible. He's drinking margaritas with the senator from Maryland who didn't give a fare thee well to Marin's mother who gave that dramatic eyewitness testimony about her daughter being tortured, raped and murdered by an illegal alien invader. Your thoughts on this. The crisis is here. Mike Davis.
Jack Posobiec
I hope the Democrats keep doing these humanitarian trips to El Salvador. I think the RNC should pay for them, put them on the airplanes, put them up in the hotels, pay for their margaritas when they go meet with these terrorists. I don't think that image right there you're seeing on your screen shows you the Democrat party is the party of the globalist elite and they are totally out of touch with Americans in real America. President Trump campaigned on the fact he's going to secure our border. He's going to get illegal immigrants the hell out of our country. They are criminals. Yes, criminals. Particularly Ms. 13 international gang bangers and Trend Aragua foreign terrorists. President Trump is doing what he promised American voters he would do. He has soaring polling numbers on this issue and Democrats are doubling down and going and having more Garitas with Ms. 13 terrorists. Please keep doing this. Michael Whatley, please tell your finance team to fund this. Send all your donors private jets to send any Democrat politician in America to go have margaritas with Miguel the foreign terrorist.
Stephen K. Bannon
You want more photo ops, right? To compare and contrast what President Trump is doing to compared to what they're doing, correct?
Jack Posobiec
Yeah. I mean I'll tell you, for my friends and family back in Iowa, these, these working class blue collar Americans, this isn't going to sit well with them. This is, this is how President Trump secured the realignment this election. And it's going to, it's only going to get more exacerbated for the Democrats if they keep doing this stuff.
Stephen K. Bannon
Mike, real quickly, give me 30 seconds. I'm going to hold you through the break. Rachel Barrow is going to join us. Ezra Klein's talking about something deeper, though. What the left is pushing is that they're coming, we're coming for them, that this is just a test case. Is that not correct? That is the crisis they're really talking about, is it not?
Jack Posobiec
Yeah.
Stephen K. Bannon
Yeah.
Jack Posobiec
If you have Trende Aragua tattoos on your forehead and you beat the hell out of your wife and you rape kids, yeah, we're coming for you. But other than that, I think you're pretty safe.
Stephen K. Bannon
Dag on it. The Viceroy on a good Friday. Thank you, sir. I'm just kidding. They're hyping this up. It's going to be nonstop this weekend. David Brooks, who's one of the smartest public intellectuals out there, put a piece up that is almost incomprehensible about the panic, the fear. And he's a Republican about President Trump's activity. Okay, we're going to take a short commercial break. Make sure get on the right track this weekend. To take your phone out, text Bannon B A N N O N 989-898. Birchgold the Ultimate Guide to Investing in Precious Metals in the Aero Trump. We are packed this morning on a good Friday. We will return after a short commercial break. You don't go out and buy a life jacket when the boat is already sinking. And you don't buy gold when the economy has already collapsed. Clearly others are heeding this advice as gold hit an all time high the first part of 2025 multiple times. It's not too late for you. The company I trust to help you diversify into physical gold is Birch Gold, the company I buy my gold from. Birch Gold specializes in helping you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold for no money out of pocket. Just listen to this five star review. Quote knowledgeable, helpful, non pressure, end quote. That's what you get with Burt's Gold and that's why I've endorsed them for so long. Get your free info kit on gold by texting the word Bannon B A N N O N to 989-898. There's no obligation, just useful information. With an A plus rating from the Better Business Bureau and countless five star reviews, text Bannon B A N N O N to 989-898. And let the experts at Birchgold help you secure your financial future today with.
Jack Posobiec
Gold, here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
Stephen K. Bannon
Remember, Birch Gold, 989898. It's simple. Just text that Bannon and you get the guide and then you get into it with, with Philip, Patrick and the team. Phillips actually going to join me tomorrow on what we're going to do for two hours. We're going to do Lexington Concord and why it's important for today. How's that? Patrick K. O'Donnell, I think, is also going to be with us. Rachel Bovart joins us. Okay. So remember, Rachel, one of the things we do here is to make sure we instruct the audience and help the audience understand the fundamental tenets of information warfare. Because so much in modern politics and modern, really modern war is about information warfare and controlling narratives. There was an interesting piece that was kind of leading on Politico, I think, last night, early this morning, and if we can put it up, if Denver can get that up, about Zuckerberg had a great week. And this essentially says that for all the big talk of Rachel Bovard and Mike Davis and Steve Bannon and all these guys that are the fanboys of Ferguson at FTC and Gail Slater over and Omid over at the Justice Department, and they love Lina Khan and what's happened here. And this is going to be, this is the first of the oligarchs and they were the ones pushing Trump. Got to have this trial, got to have Zuckerberg in the, in the docket. Right. And he's had an amazing week. He's actually smarter than the lawyers. He's smarter than the ftc, he's smarter than Rachel Bovard, Mike Davis, Steve Bannon combined, and he's had a brilliant week. Walk me through that. Is that how close is that to reality, ma'am? And why do you think this piece is being driven on Good Friday? So it can be the weekend read for the globalist elites over Easter weekend?
Rachel Bovard
Well, I can tell you why they're pushing the piece, just from a simple monetary perspective, is that Mark Zuckerberg is their benefactor. If you read the enormously popular Politico playbook, you will see, sponsored by, and in many cases it says Facebook or Metta or Boeing or any of the defense contractors around D.C. meta gives money to these companies that then cover them. It's an incredibly incestuous relationship, but it exists all across DC Tech companies, Meta is not exclusive to this, but tech companies have been throwing money around town to influence the coverage of them and also to think tanks who then launder their business propositions as policy proposals, which then go to policymakers on the Hill. So there is this cycle of information warfare, to use your term, that's going on. But I think the second reason is that. That he's one of them. He is an elite in D.C. and how dare these institutions of government come for them. They are only supposed to go after political opposition. For Democrats, that's their job. They go after businesses that nobody cares about. How dare you come after these masters of the universe, which Zuckerberg has positioned himself as one. And I think, though, for anyone who's paid attention to the last three days of this trial, still ongoing today, it doesn't reflect reality because you've seen Mark Zuckerberg come across as very robust, robotic, in many cases, overly lawyerly. He's trying to outsmart these lawyers, and he's not doing a very good job. He's impeaching his own credibility because they'll present him with his own words and then he'll say, oh, I mean, maybe I said that. And it's actually, I've been told, prompted laughter in the courtroom because it's so absurd. He's presented with his own words being that, oh, I want to neutralize a competitor when speaking of Instagram. And he'll say, maybe I said that, or I don't recall. And so he's not actually being the fierce witness that Politico wants to portray. Portray him as. But again, they're on the hook for doing so because they're being paid by.
Stephen K. Bannon
Mark Zuckerberg just for the audience. What the first part of the trial. Is it unusual to call a guy like him as the first witness? Was this a radical strategy of the government, of the FTC to actually called. Isn't it traditional? You build up and then he's the. He's the grand finale. Or do you normally bring somebody like that in this early?
Rachel Bovard
It is a little bit unusual. And it's not just with Mark Zuckerberg. You know, it's also been. It's also been Sheryl Sandberg, who's on the stand today. And that is unusual. They're bringing their lead witnesses out first. They're trying to overwhelm the court a little bit here with star power. And I think they're trying to get their best arguments out there and then for the government to put them out and then rebuke them. So it is a little bit of a strategy, I think, on Facebook's part. And remember too, the lead lawyer for Facebook actually used to be the boss of the judge of Judge Jeb Boasberg. So this is all an intentional strategy to, you know, grease the skids, influence pedal the influence game in Washington. You know, Facebook was in the White House three times meeting with Trump again, as we talked about, they donated his inauguration fund. All of this is because for years, Facebook has been able to buy its way out of enforcement. And you're seeing them use every trick in the book to try to do that again.
Stephen K. Bannon
If the overall strategy of the FTC and the Justice Department and everybody that's, you know, the Neo Brandeisans that want to start to take apart these oligarchs is to disaggregate. Start by disaggregating meta and show that you can do that because you've got the penalty phases of Google on two different types, right. I think on search and then the advertising engine, one in Northern Virginia federal court and the other in D.C. at which Omid in the team over the justice are just been on fire on this. Is it your walk through the first couple of days in your professional judgment has Zuckerberg, I know he's contradicted himself, but is the government actually making its case? You think that can drive through the rest of this trial and convince folks that we actually ought to get to the part that these are monopolies and they got to be taken apart?
Rachel Bovard
Ma'am, they're getting there. You know, I think, as we've discussed, they're benefited by the fact that they have Zuckerberg's own words. Zuckerberg's words in email saying, I want to neutralize a competitor, I want to build a competitive moat around us. All of these things indicating that he didn't buy Instagram in order to, you know, help it innovate and help it thrive. He bought it because it was a competitor and he wanted to neutralize it. And you can't. We can't do that. Our antitrust laws, again, protect the marketplace. They protect the marketplace from predators like Metta seeking to hoover up any competitive threat and suck it into themselves to create these giant market borgs. And that's what Facebook has and meta have become. And so I think the government is really trying to demonstrate that now. I think we're going to get, you know, when we get out of the star power phase of this trial, we're going to focus very much on these wonky definitions around what is a market. Who does Facebook actually compete with? And that's where I think FTC is really going to have to show its mettle because if Meta is allowed to claim it competes against a host of these competitors, its market share is actually very small. The government will have a harder case to make. But if they can successfully say, you know, in the market of social networking, there's really only two or three competitors and Facebook is the big one, then it's a lot easier for the government to show that Facebook has been maintaining its monopoly through illegal means. And that's where we're going to get to. But I do think they've done a good job of disassembling Mark Zuckerberg and now Sheryl Sandberg. And again, these are, you know, they can afford the best attorneys, and so you're seeing them try to fight back. But, you know, the government's been doing a good job.
Stephen K. Bannon
Last thing in Politico, in the entire article today, correct me if I'm wrong. As I read it, I didn't see any disclaimer there where they said that Meta and Facebook are a major advertiser with them and actually sponsor or co sponsor certain of their biggest things, which is Playbook is what they're known for. And by the way, the biggest traffic driver over there. I just want to make sure I didn't see it. And I looked through it a couple times. Did you see where they actually let people know that they're writing this piece and that not saying it's slandered or not, but just informing people that Facebook and Meta is a major contributor and sponsor of theirs?
Rachel Bovard
No, they never do. You know, they'll still show it on the actual Playbook email and if you ask them about it, they'll argue, well, they only sponsor that particular vertical of our business. They don't sponsor the coverage. They would never influence our coverage. But as everybody knows, money is fungible, right? They have money coming in from Facebook. They don't want to lose that account. You have to think that that dictates a little bit of coverage. That is just common sense. Sense. So there's got to be a little bit more rules of the road on this stuff because people don't know, right? People are consuming information. They don't understand the biases behind it. And that's just factually and facially unfair.
Stephen K. Bannon
Last thing before I let you go, the bid in the ask here, the government was asking, I think, for $30 billion originally and would settle for 20 billion or some number in that range. Zuckerberg and his team offered $400 million. That's a pretty big spread as you see the first week. Where do you think we're going to come down to this thing? Closer to the 20 or 30 billion or closer to the 400 million?
Rachel Bovard
I don't think the government's going to move off its big ask here. I mean, why would they? This is again, this is why this case is so existential to Facebook. At the end of the day, it could result in Facebook being structurally dismantled, meaning Instagram and WhatsApp divested of Facebook, returned to their status as independent companies. The government is making that case. I don't know why they would walk away from it. Facebook hasn't given them a reason to on the stand yet. They are still arguing and prosecuting this case very effectively. So, look, we're going for the big ask and I think it would be a mistake to back off it.
Stephen K. Bannon
I think this also shows and people should be very proud of this, of President Trump with all the stuff that he's owned by the oligarchs. And, you know, they're down in Mar a Lago. This is real world and it's pretty brutal. First off, Zuckerberg ain't happy about being in the dock and Sheryl Sandberg's going to be less happy. And the government's dug in here. Remember, structurally dismember what Rachel Bovard said, structurally dismember Facebook from all the power they've got and particularly the power they've used against the MAGA movement and President Trump. Rachel, where do people thank you for coming on on Good Friday Morning. Where do people get you and all your content?
Rachel Bovard
You can find me on X. Rachelbovard and I'll be writing about this case for the Federalist and for Commonplace.
Stephen K. Bannon
We love the Federalists. Thank you, ma'am. Appreciate you.
Rachel Bovard
Thanks, Steve.
Stephen K. Bannon
Okay, we're gonna take a short commercial break and we're gonna return. We got the viceroy. I want to get back to the Ezra Klein of it all. Dave Bratz with me. One of the most important public intellectuals out there, particularly on the conservative side, is David Brooks. He's the house conservative over at NPR and pbs. He's in full and total meltdown. He's, he's calling for people to take to the streets. Maybe now he thinks gonna be some turbulence. Ezra Klein's Tell us the crisis is here, Matt, on that entire crew every night. As Natalie Winters points out, the color revolution. And they are worked up like I've never seen them before. I think it means we're winning. Birchgold.com talk to Philip Patrick and team about the 401k are all the different methodologies they have of tax deferred ways that you can roll your retirement and other things into a program of ownership of physical gold. Birchgold.com Bannon get to Philip Patrick and Teams Phillips with us tomorrow morning On Saturday, the 250th commemoration of Lexington and Concord. Back in a moment. You've heard me talk about Patriot Mobile for a while now. You probably know that for years they've stood in the gap for every American who believes in faith, family and freedom. So here's the question. Have you switched to Patriot Mobile yet? You'll get exceptional nationwide coverage because unlike most cell phone service providers, Patriot mobile utilizes all three major U.S. networks. Switch today without sacrificing quality or service. They even add two numbers on two networks on one phone. Let me repeat. They can even add two numbers on two networks on one phone. It's like you're carrying two phones in one. They have unlimited data plans, mobile hotspots, international roaming, Internet on the go devices and Internet backup. Switching is easy. Keep your number, keep your phone or upgrade. Their 100% US based team can activate you in minutes. Best of all, switching to Patriot Mobile supports your values. If you believe in our first Amendment and second Amendment rights, the sanctity of life, supporting our veterans and first responders, this is where you belong right now. Go to patriot mobile.com Bannon or call 972 Patriot. Get a free month of service with promo code Bannon. So if you call in, tell em Bannon Also switch today. That's patriot mobile.com Bannon or call 972.
Ezra Klein
Patriot emergency is here. The crisis is now. It's not six months away. It's not another Supreme Court ruling from happening. It is happening now. Maybe not to you, not yet, but to others, to real people whose names we know, whose stories we know. The President of the United States is disappearing people to an El Salvadoran prison for terrorists. A prison known by its initial ckot. A prison built for disappearance. A prison where there is no education or mediation or recreation.
Stephen K. Bannon
Ezra. Ezra. Ezra Klein. Calm down. He's drinking margaritas. Can we put that photo. He's drinking margaritas. Think about Yesterday. You have Ms. Morin, right? The mother of what? Rachel Morin. You have and she comes and it's too almost violent to do during the morning show because of the children of the homeschoolers are there. Her daughter's a mother, five on her morning jog, telling her kids she wants to finish her job. Or finished her walk. She's going to come back and they're going to go to the store. It's a typical morning, right? She is grabbed, dragged, tortured, raped, murdered brutally. Her mother says that the senators never even given the fare. They will. He gets on a plane and goes down is having margaritas with a and Michael Patrick Leahy maybe I gave him later this morning. This evening he's got amazing report coming out of Tennessee where the FBI kind of let him go when he was trafficking humans in a car with seven, you know, seven undesirables. But it's deeper than that. Mike Davis this is what they're if you watch MSNBC and the information warfare they're accusing us of now getting ready for the autocratic breakthrough right where and Trump I'm going to put up David Brooks in a moment. David Brooks is actually saying they have to go into the streets in a mass mobilization, maybe direct action to stop Trump's full spectrum dominance of every institution in the country. That's what the crisis is. The crisis is not this single guy going back. They don't care about him. They're using him as a tool to warn as a it's like Paul, their equivalent of Paul Revere. This is where they're saying a where Paul Revere rode tonight or in the early morning hours of tomorrow to warn the British are coming. They're saying the crisis is here. That's what they're doing on the eve of Lexington and Concord. And that crisis is the autocratic breakthrough that they think President Trump in the viceroy in war room in the war room posse represent sir.
Jack Posobiec
Yeah, we see very clearly who the Democrat Party represents. They are desperate to keep these dangerous illegal aliens in America including Ms. 13 gang bangers Trende Aragua. They are desperate to keep them here. They have to have these illegal immigrants in America because they need these votes and they know this. This is why they oppose the SAVE Act. They want these illegal immigrants and their coalition and they want their globalist overlords. They want this cheap labor and they don't care. They do not care about the human carnage that results from having MS.13 and Trend Aragua in America. This Chris Van Hollen, the senator from Maryland, he is a disgrace. He is despicable. He flew down to El Salvador to meet with this MS.13 gang banger by two immigration courts. They found this guy's part of MS.13. This guy viciously beat his wife. He was involved with human trafficking. And Chris Van Hollen's down there sipping margaritas with this guy. But he won't meet with Rachel's mother, who's in Maryland. I mean, it's unbelievable. Chris Van Hollen is a disgrace. It's disgusting to look at that photo. And this is just part of the Democrats broader problem. Look at their constituency. Their constituency are the global elitist. And these illegal immigrants, the peasants who serve the global elitist.
Stephen K. Bannon
And one of their concerns, folks, these are smart people. Don't think. These people are not smart. They're smart, right? They're smart, demonic, evil, say whatever you want, right? They have a very different philosophy and outlook of what this country should be than we do. Okay? And it's not going to be argued out, it's not going to be debated. There's an unbridgeable chasm between us. The other thing they understand is that Trump and his Justice Department, the ftc, the fcc, other things, he is looking to take one of the biggest globalists because they understand that Zuckerberg's on their side and that these big social media platforms are actually on their side. They're just licking their chops to Hakeem Jeffries gets back in here, they're gonna totally flip publicly. But when Rachel Bovard says Trump, who Zuckerberg was all over, he was in the. He was in the Oval Office three times the last couple weeks. That's more times than the National Security Advisor's been in the Oval talking to him. Structurally dismember Facebook. One of the biggest and most powerful of all the oligarchies. Mike Davis.
Jack Posobiec
Yeah. So Rachel Bovard and I started the conservative fight against big tech in 2019. It was the Internet Accountability Project, the sister organization to the Article 3 project. And Rachel Bovard and I were laughed at, mocked repeatedly when we said we needed to use our antitrust laws to break up these trillion dollar big tech monopolists. Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple. And we had. We had the left on our side, we had the Lina Khan's on our side, but we didn't have the right because the right was so beholden to the Chamber of Commerce wing. And we changed that. We changed the politics on the right. And how we did that is we showed that these big tech platforms use their market power not only to crush competition and to shutter small businesses, but to also cancel conservatives and others with whom they disagree. And we changed the politics quickly. And that's why President Trump filed in 2020 this FTC lawsuit against Facebook, against Meta, for its monopolization of the personal social networking market, meaning your friends and family online, your Facebook friends and family. And this Lawsuit was brought in 2020. It was essentially to divest the acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, that Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for a billion dollars. And then WhatsApp in 2014 for a. For, I think it was like $19 billion. And the email evidence that you're seeing at trial this week, this methodical trial that Andrew Ferguson is leading, started by Lina Khan, continued by Andrew Ferguson, this methodical trial that you're seeing is they're showing methodically that Mark Zuckerberg intentionally acquired Instagram in order to crush competition in the personal social networking market. He wants to dominate that market, and he's done that very effectively. The reason that Facebook can censor conservatives, can deep platform President Trump can spend $400 million to chase him out of office in 2020 and subject him to four years of unrelenting welfare is because Facebook is a monopoly. If Facebook competed against Instagram instead of acquired Instagram, they would not be abusing their consumers with censorship. They would welcome conservatives. They would be competing for conservatives. They don't have to do that because they acquired Facebook, acquired Instagram. Same thing with Google and YouTube. If Google competed against YouTube instead of acquired YouTube, they would not be censoring conservatives. You're seeing major wins by the Trump administration started during the Trump administration, to the great credit of President President Biden. He continued these bipartisan antitrust efforts with Lina Khan at the FTC and Jonathan Cancer at the antitrust division. Now you have Gail Slater leading the antitrust division with Omida Safi. You have Andrew Ferguson as the chairman of the ftc. And we're getting major victories against big tech. You have the meta trial this week. Mark Zuckerberg thought he was gonna spend a million dollars after he spent $400 million chasing Trump out of office in 2020. Mark Zuckerberg thought he was gonna spend a million dollars after Trump won in 2024 on the inauguration and buy his way out of the Facebook trial. Well, guess what? Two Tuesdays ago, you see reporting of Gail Slater, Andrew Ferguson and the Viceroy going into the Oval Office and making damn sure that didn't happen. And so you have Mark Zuckerberg sitting through trial this week and explaining, defending his monopoly. He's definitely not winning when he's explaining his monopoly. You also have Google last year lost its antitrust trial on search, its search monopoly. You just saw this week Google lost its online advertising monopoly trial. These are two trials that were brought by Gail Slater's antitrust division. You've seen Apple being held accountable by the Justice Department, Amazon. We are on the march. Five years ago, Rachel Bovard and I were laughed at about this. Now we are kicking Big Tech's, Big Tech's behinds.
Stephen K. Bannon
This is why the oligarch tour with Bernie Sanders and AOC is totally phony. One, they don't talk about any popular nationalist economics at all, okay? They're talking about Green New Deal and also the crap from the land at the time. Forgot they never mentioned this. Actually, the Trump movement, the MAGA movement, is full on, on an assault in the courts to go after these oligarchs and to break them up. Am I incorrect in that? On a broad front, with some of the best people in our movement, Mike Davis. Yeah.
Jack Posobiec
So think about this. Marxists want total control. They want total government control. They want total private control. And the best way you can control the populace is through monopolist, right? With a monopolist, there's only one neck for the government to choke, right? And so if you tell Apple to censor someone, to deplatform, to deplatform from their app store duopoly, they're going to do it. If you tell Facebook to deplatform, they're going to do it. Same thing with Google. We have the evidence. That's what the Biden regime was doing. They were telling these monopolists to do their censorship bidding. And it was very effective. If you don't have monopolists, if you have many companies that are competing, it's much harder for the government to control them. So, of course, governments like these monopolists, these Marxists like these monopolists. And that's why it is so important that this populist movement continues, that we, that the populist right, the MAGA movement with Steve Bannon, with, you know, Rachel Bovard, with Gail Slater, with Andrew Ferguson, we team up with our allies on the populist left, not the Marxist left, the populist left like Lina Khan. And we continue to break up this concentrated power. We do not want concentrated power in government. We do not want concentrated corporate power.
Stephen K. Bannon
You talk about unifying the country. President Trump and his guys brought it in the closing days of his first term. Lina Khan picked it up against all pressure. The Democratic Party picked it up, refined it over at the ftc, essentially passed it to Ferguson. And Ferguson is driving home in a court Today in Washington, D.C. it's actually. They talk about the country being so divided. Well, there are people out there that understand that these oligarchs are much too powerful and they have to be structurally Dismembered, as Rachel Bovard said. Viceroy, real quickly. I got you Ed Martin's confirmation. Ed Martin doing a great job as U.S. attorney. How can we help? We go to Article 3. How can we help push this one over the goal line?
Jack Posobiec
Yeah. So Ed Martin is fulfilling President Trump's electoral promise to make D.C. safe again. Ed Martin is focusing like a laser beam on D.C. street crimes, making America's capitol safe for Americans to visit again. So it's not Mogadishu like it's been under the Biden regime. So go to Article 3 project. Article 3 project. Take action and contact both of your home state senators and then tell them to support the confirmation of Ed Martin for the D.C. u.S. Attorney. Let's make D.C. safe again. And Ed Martin will do that.
Stephen K. Bannon
Mike, 30 seconds. Where do we go for Article 3? Right now on your social media, sir.
Jack Posobiec
Article3Project.Org article number three project.org you can follow us on social media. You can take action, like supporting Ed Martin. And if you can afford it, donate. But thank you very much, the War Room Posse, the most effective, most powerful force in politics.
Stephen K. Bannon
Thank you, brother. Good Friday, and happy Easter weekend, sir. Thank you. Mike Davis. Short break, brat. Next. 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.
Jack Posobiec
Here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
Stephen K. Bannon
Dave Brat. Let's get David Brooks up. Dave, Brett's with us. Let's get the David. If we can put that up on the screen. So David Brooks, who is a Pretty button down guy. I mean, he's a conservative that's on liberal media essentially to bash Trump, to see he's the new George Will. Right up on liberal media to act as a conservative, essentially bash Trump, populist, nationalist, but he's a pretty even handed guy. He did a, if I'll pull it next in the next hour. He did this big interview with me the day before, a couple days before I went to prison, which he said it was like having right here. And it was a big dark picture, black and white on the New York Times. He said the first sentence says, I felt like I just interviewed Trotsky. That's how much he digs maga. Is he having a nervous breakdown? He's calling for him to go into the streets, right? He's going, Ezra Klein next level, is he not, sir?
David Brooks
Yeah, well, Ezra Klein, I don't follow him too much, but that cold open was just precious. It looked like overly dramatized poetry reading up at, you know, Politics and Pros up there in the swamp on Connecticut Avenue for all the hoity toity class. And I don't think that's a winner. And Brooks, Brooks lost his marbles in this piece. And he's not a conservative, right? A conservative, a Burkean conservative, melds together the Judeo Christian religious tradition with Greek reason and both reinforce each other. Brooks, if he ever mentioned the Judeo Christian religion and what it entails, there's no way the Atlantic would let him publish. So in this piece he goes off on the rule of law, the Constitution, and Trump's accumulation of power for power sake. And interestingly, you know, he wrote another piece in the Atlantic this week on gaslighting, and that was a pretty good piece. Gaslighting is when you are the guilty party and you blame the innocent party for doing what you just got done doing to them. And everybody in the war room is in touch with that emotion, right? Gaslighting is when you blame the innocent party for doing what you've done to them. What did they do to us? And Brooks is part of this sole globalist establishment line of thought. They brought us a whole host of the terribles. The CIA, FBI, Justice Department gave us the Steele dossier. With 50 leading intelligence officers in the country breaking the law and violating their own words. They brought us 10 million cases of illegal immigrants. 10 million cases against the law. Dave, if you, if you believe in the rule of law and the Constitution, just basic conservative thought, right? And basic moral integrity, I would demand you, you answer to that. A million dead boys laying on the ground, David, in Russia and Ukraine, no commentary. They invaded President Trump home. They put Steve by Bannon and Navarro in jail. We had the COVID shutdown with our rights trampled not much on the basic rights language. We had censorship in place for four years. You couldn't speak the truth. David Brooks nowhere to be found. And so, yeah, he's having a total meltdown here because all of his institutions are crumbling in the place. And this gets a little deeper. But we used to have a real culture right before the elites took over with Michelle Foucault and Rorty and the language games of Harvard and the new literary remarks that are all part of deconstructing the Judeo Christian West. And Brooks fits right in that. He fits right in the deconstruction school. Nothing he says violates those terms of thought. And so what am I getting at there? We used to have a culture that was high culture. We produced the Judeo Christian west, produced the greatest music, the greatest literature, the greatest art, the greatest philosophy, the greatest theology, the greatest democracies, the greatest human rights, language, everything that is a culture. We didn't have to call it a culture. We didn't, we didn't do study of culture. It was the culture. And in my mind, it still is the culture.
Stephen K. Bannon
The left can't name it. But hang on, isn't he arguing that that's what he's defending, that we are in fact the barbarians, that the barbarians are coming across every part of the institution. This is why know you're winning because he admits that we are now finally reversing the long march through the institutions and we're grabbing, like conservatives, like Brooks, the controlled opposition just stood there and let the long march take place. We're actually countering that across every different part of this battlefield, right? Isn't. So he, he's arguing that he's actually the defender, that the long march wasn't that bad, that you left at least the facade of these institutions, right, that support the Judeo Christian west, which you can look up at Harvard or all these universities and understand that's not happening. But he's, and he's actually calling now, like Ezra Klein, he's telling them that we're at a critical point, that if we're not stopped, if maga's not stopped and stopped now, that we're going to win this. As I keep saying and he's saying, he's actually calling them out into the streets. Get out of the faculty lounge, get to the streets, get out of the C suite. Get to the suite, get to the streets. He's doing a call to action, is he not, to stop us.
David Brooks
You know that. Yeah, that's right. Well, the old, the old conservative party used to put out white papers and identify cultural arguments, and they thought that would win the day. The Trump administration has the ideas and they're putting them in place in the institutions. And the other irony that a basic conservative like Brooks follows, and this is why he's not a public intellectual anymore. President Trump is dismantling the power of the federal government. How many tyrants do you know that have done that? He's, he's dismantling his own communications departments, right? Usaid, npr, Public Radio. If you were a despot, you would grab hold of these public communications networks. He's also dismantling the federal piece, the bureaucratic sclerosis piece of the Ministry of Education. Again, if you were a tyrant, you would utilize, like the left has for the past 40 years, the ministry of Education to inculcate young kids with everything except knowledge. And all this relates to our immigration problems, right? The kids aren't educated. We don't have a workforce. And now you got the leftist claiming, well, we don't have a workforce. And it all fits together. Texas had a huge win on education yesterday. And it's all of this for the institutions is going to bear good fruit.
Stephen K. Bannon
Hold that. I want to get into that when we get back. This gets back to what Mike Davis said about why AOC and Bernie Sanders never bring up what Trump's Justice Department and FTC are doing with a handoff from Lina Khan. Because we have to break up these major, these oligarchs. Their oligarch tour never talks about this. Why? They're not populists. They're not left populists. They are actual Marxist, right? They are cultural Marxists, definitely, but they're also Marxists that they want bigger institutions, state capitalism, that they can control it as the FBI, as Biden had the FBI controlling the content of these places. It's as clear as the news on your face. Right? Short commercial break. Right. Stuff takes us out. We're back with Jack Posobic and Dave Brett in a moment. Are you a yo yo dieter? You diet, lose weight, but gain it all back, plus a few extra pounds for the effort. Then later you lose it again and regain it again and on and on and on. I think I resemble this. It's dangerous. Studies show that you can increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other health problems. Breaking free of your yo yo diet pattern is a main reason doctors created Lean. Lean is a supplement, not an injection. And you don't need a prescription. The science behind Lean is impressive. It studied natural ingredients target weight loss in three powerful ways. Lean helps maintain healthy blood sugar. It helps control appetite and cravings. And it helps burn fat by converting fat into energy. Listen, if you're tired of losing weight and gaining it back, if you want to lose meaningful weight at a healthy pace, Lean was created for you. Let me get you started with 20% off when you enter Bannon 20 that's B A N N O N 20@takelean.com that's code Bannon 20@takelean.com Bannon 20 that's20akelen.com lose it and keep it off.
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Bannon's War Room Episode 4422: META Sponsors The Press In DC; Structurally Dismembering Facebook
Release Date: April 18, 2025
Host: WarRoom.org / Stephen K. Bannon
Description: WAR ROOM: Pandemic delivers the most up-to-date information on the news of the day. Stephen K. Bannon engages medical experts, politicians, business leaders, and frontline individuals to provide comprehensive insights into current events.
In Episode 4422 of Bannon's War Room, titled "META Sponsors The Press In DC; Structurally Dismembering Facebook," host Stephen K. Bannon delves into two primary topics: the contentious immigration enforcement policies under President Trump and the ongoing antitrust actions against Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly Facebook). The episode features heated discussions with guests Ezra Klein, Rachel Bovard, and Jack Posobiec, among others, highlighting the deep political divides and the strategic maneuvers shaping the current American socio-political landscape.
The episode opens with Ezra Klein passionately critiquing the Trump administration's immigration policies. He emphasizes the urgency and severity of the situation, asserting that the administration is actively deporting individuals to El Salvadoran prisons, such as the notorious CJOT (Centro de Control de Orden Público Táctico), which he describes as "a prison built for disappearance" where inmates face harsh conditions without hope for rehabilitation or release.
Notable Quote:
Ezra Klein [00:00]: "The president of the United States is disappearing people to an El Salvadoran prison for terrorists... a prison where the only way out, in the words of El Salvador's justice minister, is in a coffin."
Stephen K. Bannon counters Klein's assertions by framing the deportations as lawful actions against individuals deemed illegal immigrants and members of the MS-13 gang. Bannon argues that these deportees are orchestrated within the bounds of the law, citing court rulings that classify individuals like Abrego Garcia as terrorists and illegal immigrants.
Notable Quote:
Stephen K. Bannon [00:53]: "He was illegally in our country. And in 2019, two courts... ruled that he was a member of MS.13 and he was illegally in our country right now."
The discussion intensifies as Bannon and guest Mike Davis criticize Democratic officials, particularly Senator Chris Van Hollen, for their perceived leniency and hypocrisy in dealing with alleged criminals. They accuse Democrats of bribing or appeasing dangerous immigrants to gain political favor, undermining national security.
Notable Quote:
Mike Davis [09:55]: "Chris Van Hollen is a disgrace. He flew down to El Salvador to meet with this MS.13 gang banger... He won't meet with Rachel's mother, who's in Maryland."
Ezra Klein counters by suggesting that such deportations may lack due process and could be tools for political manipulation, hinting at potential abuses of power reminiscent of authoritarian regimes.
Notable Quote:
Ezra Klein [05:29]: "Trump has said he intends to send those he hates to foreign prisons beyond the reach of US Law. This is not about their guilt. It is about his power."
Bannon reaffirms the administration's stance, emphasizing the necessity of these actions to protect American citizens from perceived threats posed by illegal immigrants and gang members.
Notable Quote:
Stephen K. Bannon [05:38]: "That includes [illegal immigrants]. What do you think? There's a special category of person... we have bad ones, too, and I'm all for it."
A significant portion of the episode focuses on the ongoing antitrust trial against Meta Platforms Inc., led by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Rachel Bovard provides an in-depth analysis of the trial, highlighting how internal communications from Mark Zuckerberg reveal a deliberate strategy to eliminate competition by acquiring potential rivals like Instagram and WhatsApp.
Notable Quote:
Rachel Bovard [20:15]: "Mark Zuckerberg thought he was gonna spend a million dollars after he spent $400 million chasing Trump out of office... He's definitely not winning when he's explaining his monopoly."
Bannon and Jack Posobiec elaborate on the government's objective to "structurally dismember" Meta, arguing that breaking up the conglomerate will eliminate its monopolistic control over the social networking market. They discuss how antitrust actions are gaining momentum, with significant wins against other tech giants like Google and Amazon, reinforcing the administration's commitment to curbing big tech's influence.
Notable Quote:
Stephen K. Bannon [35:12]: "President Trump and his guys brought it in the closing days of his first term. Lina Khan picked it up against all pressure... We're kicking Big Tech's behinds."
Rachel Bovard further explains the cyclical influence of big tech on media, particularly focusing on how Meta's financial contributions to outlets like Politico create biased coverage that undermines objective reporting.
Notable Quote:
Rachel Bovard [24:40]: "Money is fungible... they have money coming in from Facebook. They don't want to lose that account. You have to think that that dictates a little bit of coverage."
The trial's strategy involves exposing Facebook's intent to monopolize the market, thereby justifying the government's move to dismantle its acquisitions and restore competitive balance in the social networking sphere.
Notable Quote:
Rachel Bovard [25:17]: "They have these internal emails saying they want to neutralize a competitor... We can't do that. Our antitrust laws protect the marketplace from predators like Meta."
Rachel Bovard sheds light on the intricate relationships between big tech companies and media organizations. She alleges that companies like Meta fund media outlets to influence their coverage, ensuring favorable reporting that aligns with corporate interests. This "information warfare," as Bannon describes it, allows big tech to shape public narratives and suppress dissenting viewpoints.
Notable Quote:
Rachel Bovard [20:15]: "Meta gives money to these companies that then cover them... There's this cycle of information warfare going on."
Bannon underscores the necessity of dismantling these monopolistic entities to prevent them from exerting undue influence over public discourse and democratic institutions.
Notable Quote:
Stephen K. Bannon [39:41]: "We're breaking up these concentrated powers... We do not want concentrated power in government. We do not want concentrated corporate power."
Towards the episode's conclusion, Bannon critiques public intellectuals like David Brooks, accusing them of aligning with globalist elites and undermining conservative movements. He argues that figures like Brooks are out of touch with traditional conservative values and are part of a cultural Marxist agenda aimed at dismantling the Judeo-Christian foundations of American society.
Notable Quote:
Stephen K. Bannon [49:10]: "We used to have a real culture... It was the culture. And in my mind, it still is the culture."
Jack Posobiec echoes these sentiments, emphasizing the threat posed by monopolistic corporations and their collusion with liberal policies that suppress conservative voices.
Notable Quote:
Jack Posobiec [43:24]: "Marxists want total control... With a monopolist, there's only one neck for the government to choke."
Episode 4422 of Bannon's War Room presents a fervent defense of the Trump administration's policies on immigration and antitrust actions against big tech, particularly Meta Platforms Inc. The discussions underscore a profound distrust of Democratic officials and liberal media, portraying them as complicit in safeguarding the interests of globalist elites at the expense of American sovereignty and security. Through impassioned arguments and strategic narratives, Bannon and his guests advocate for robust actions to reclaim institutional autonomy and protect national integrity.
Key Takeaways:
Immigration Enforcement: The Trump administration's aggressive deportation policies are defended as necessary measures against illegal immigrants and gang members, despite criticisms regarding due process and human rights implications.
Antitrust Actions Against Big Tech: The FTC's lawsuits aimed at breaking up Meta are portrayed as pivotal steps in dismantling monopolistic powers that stifle competition and manipulate public discourse.
Media Influence: There is significant concern about the symbiotic relationship between big tech and media outlets, leading to biased reporting and information control.
Cultural and Political Divides: The episode highlights the stark contrasts between conservative movements and liberal elites, framing the latter as obstructive forces against traditional American values and institutional integrity.
Call to Action: Bannon urges listeners to support efforts against big tech monopolies and to defend national sovereignty, emphasizing the urgency of the current socio-political crisis.
Notable Guests:
This detailed summary encapsulates the critical discussions and viewpoints presented in Episode 4422 of Bannon's War Room, offering insights into the complex interplay between immigration policies, antitrust actions, media influence, and the broader cultural-political landscape in the United States.