Episode 4730: Filling Paxton's Seat With A Fully Vetted MAGA Attorney; The Fight Against Newsom

Summary

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Bannon’s War Room – Episode 4730

Date: August 25, 2025
Main Theme:
This episode centers on high-stakes political battles over redistricting and law enforcement—both in Texas (with the transition of the Attorney General’s office following Ken Paxton’s Senate run and the challenge of keeping a MAGA-aligned successor) and California (resistance to Governor Gavin Newsom’s efforts to consolidate Democratic control via redistricting, amid spiraling crime and social decay). The conversation covers the intersection of state power, federal strategy under Trump, and grassroots activism in defense of conservative principles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Texas Attorney General Transition and MAGA Movement’s Legal Front

• Guest: Aaron Reitz (former Deputy AG, Texas; candidate to succeed Ken Paxton)
• Core Issue: Ensuring Paxton’s full “America First” legacy continues via a fully vetted MAGA attorney after his Senate run.
• MAGA Alignment: Reitz positions himself as the only candidate who can “keep the foot on the gas,” continuing aggressive legal battles against the left, referencing his prior collaboration with Paxton during major court cases post-2020 election and against Biden administration policies.
• Federal vs. State Focus: Bannon highlights the scarcity of strong America First legal talent at the federal level, questioning why Reitz would leave DC for Texas. Reitz responds that the Texas AG wields “the largest conservative Republican law firm in the country” with 600 attorneys—an opportunity to project power onto national issues.

Notable Quotes:

• “I was Ken Paxton’s offensive coordinator...He was our head coach of our lawfare operations against the left and against the Biden administration, and I was the offensive coordinator.”
  — Aaron Reitz, 02:20
• “[The Texas AG] is a massive infusion of troops that we can project directly at the enemy.”—Aaron Reitz, 05:56
• “As goes Texas, so goes the nation. This is where the battle lines are being drawn.”
  — Aaron Reitz, 10:17

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2. Texas Redistricting, Democratic Legal Attacks, and the National Stakes

• Background: Texas passed new Congressional maps, adding 5 Republican-leaning seats, provoking a wave of legal challenges from well-funded Democratic groups.
• Reitz’s Role: As Paxton’s deputy, he led redistricting litigation and pledges to continue the fight, emphasizing the need for a tough, experienced AG in a “lawfare” environment.
• National Relevance: Bannon and Reitz repeatedly stress that the Texas AG race is a national battleground, not just a local succession, with MAGA vs. anti-MAGA forces clearly lined up.

Notable Quotes:

• “We drag their butts back to Texas and we cram the new maps down their throat and they’re going to...go cry about it.”
  — Aaron Reitz, 13:05
• “The next AG not only has to have the balls and the courage...he’s got to be able to walk into the beautifully appointed armory of state and federal law weapons to repel the left wing enemy”—Aaron Reitz, 14:13

Timestamps:

• [02:20-07:14] – Reitz details background, reasons for returning to Texas
• [11:39-15:00] – Redistricting battles and their legal implications

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3. California Under Newsom: Redistricting, Crime Crisis, & MAGA Resistance

• Segment Focus: Gavin Newsom’s attempt to further shrink Republican representation in California’s Congressional delegation as a springboard for his own political ambitions, set against a backdrop of escalating lawlessness and economic decline.
• Guests:
  • Elaine Kalati (LA activist, “lipstick farmer”)
  • Ali Mercado (CA Assemblywoman)
• Core Concerns:
  • Republican and independent voters are being structurally disenfranchised.
  • Rampant crime, shop closures, and lawlessness are being downplayed by Democrat leaders.
  • Grassroots MAGA energy exists in California but lacks financial and institutional GOP support.
  • Newsom uses redistricting as a “land grab” following failed policies and natural disasters.

Notable Quotes & Moments:

• “Once you grab the land, you grab the people...they imported 15 million immigrants...redistrict...count those heads...get more seats. It’s just a scam. We’re in the middle of a scam.”
  — Elaine Kalati, 20:13
• “If I wear a MAGA hat, I don’t have any friends in California. Needless to say, I see this is what caused all of this. Look around you...there’s nothing left to lose. All your houses are gone, all your money is gone. You have no representation.”
  — Elaine Kalati, 24:58
• On National Guard restoring order:
  “By the time they left, I cannot tell you how much we missed them. It wasn’t just the presence, it was the organization. They were so gracious and so polite...Crime ceased. It was the presence of it all.”
  — Elaine Kalati, 26:18
• “The quality of life goes down by the second that Gavin Newsom is in office...what they did is said you can steal up to $950 worth of merchandise on any given time and not go to jail.”
  — Ali Mercado, 34:28 & 36:39
• “Nobody could answer the fundamental question of who drew the maps...Labor unions, the Teachers association, Planned Parenthood. So don’t tell me that special interests weren’t involved.”
  — Ali Mercado, 38:10
• “Gavin Newsom has his eyes set on the White House. And we have to do everything we can to not only stop the disenfranchisement of California Republicans and independent voters...”
  — Ali Mercado, 39:34

Timestamps:

• [18:37-29:43] – L.A. crime and collapse; Kalati advocates for National Guard intervention
• [34:28-41:51] – Mercado exposes redistricting process, Prop 36/47 legal context, and calls for action

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4. National and Long-Term Political Consequences

• Both Bannon and his guests warn that changes in Texas and California will set national precedents for the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential cycle.
• The MAGA movement is called to mobilize even in “blue” states, with Bannon noting California’s surprisingly large base of pro-Trump voters.
• The episode closes with repeated calls to donate, get involved, and “support the fighters” on the ground.

Notable Quotes:

• “As goes Texas, so goes the nation...The next Attorney General is mission essential.”
  — Aaron Reitz, 10:17
• “There are more MAGA voters in California than any other state in the Union...this is an opportunity for a throwdown. You don’t have to wait for the midterms...”
  — Stephen K. Bannon, 42:28 & 43:07

Timestamps:

• [41:51-43:23] – Closing calls to action; social media links for guest activists

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Memorable Moments & Speaker Tone

• Bannon: Urgent, martial, and combative, pushing for “maximalist” use of power in political/legal arenas—“This is the primal scream of a dying regime...we’re going medieval on these people.” (00:02)
• Reitz: Lawyerly but belligerent, almost martial in tone—describes himself as “offensive coordinator” in “lawfare” against the left, promises “blitzkrieg” if Democrats win.
• Kalati: Candid, acerbic, often bleak, painting a vivid picture of social decline in L.A.—stresses public fear and governmental abandonment.
• Mercado: Legislative insider’s outrage; calls out Newsom’s redistricting as cynical, vows to “defeat this at the ballot box or in a courtroom.”

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Links & Resources Shared

• Aaron Reitz:
  • Campaign website: aaronreitz.com ([14:38])
  • X (Twitter): @Aaron_Reitz
• Anti-Gavin Newsom/Redistricting Resources:
  • StopProp50.com (Ali Mercado, [41:00])
  • #lipstickfarmer (Elaine Kalati on Instagram, [42:21])
  • Mercado’s social: @politicallybrunette, Assemblywoman Macedo (CA) ([41:58])

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Summary Table of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic Segment | Speaker(s) | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------|------------------------| | 02:20–07:14 | Reitz outlines MAGA credentials, Paxton legacy | Aaron Reitz | | 07:58–15:00 | Texas AG’s punch list & redistricting warfare | Reitz, Bannon | | 18:37–29:43 | California crime, Newsom, need for National Guard | Elaine Kalati, Bannon | | 34:28–41:51 | Mercado: Dems’ disenfranchisement, call to action | Ali Mercado, Bannon | | 41:51–43:23 | Calls to action, guest socials, final remarks | Bannon, Mercado, Kalati|

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Conclusion

This episode frames the coming fights in Texas and California as existential for the MAGA movement’s future, arguing that legal and electoral victories or losses in these states will reverberate nationwide. The tone throughout is combative and mobilizing, aiming to unite grassroots conservatives for upcoming redistricting battles and law-and-order debates, while providing listeners with activist resources and calls to immediate engagement.

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Transcript

[Stephen K. Bannon]

This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going.

Medieval on these people.

Reasons 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.

[Aaron Reitz]

And where do people like that go.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

To share the big lie?

[Aaron Reitz]

MAGA MEDIA I wish in my soul, I wish that any of these people had a conscience.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose?

[Unknown Male Guest]

If that answer is to save my.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Country, this country will be saved.

[Aaron Reitz]

War Room here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Breaking news from Real America's Voice 21 okay, welcome. It's Monday the 25th of August. Your Verlor 2025. Wow. Is that it's not James Earl Jones right there in that voice, but very impressive. I may call for that again. Breaking news here in big breaking news on the morning edition of the War Room. To kick off a week, we're going to be going to Oval Office pretty quickly. It's maximalist Monday as President Trump is dropping the hammer in every different vertical on maximizing everything we can possibly do right now because we're burning daylight. President Trump understands. We signed some executive orders making people's heads blow up. We have huge news coming out of the Lone Star State. Ken Paxton, the beloved and revered attorney general in the state of Texas, has just published an incredible endorsement for our first guest, Aaron Wrights. Aaron, thank you so much for joining us here in the War Room. Talk about your relationship first with Ken because this he put out an amazing and if we Denver, we can put it up. He put out an amazing endorsement of you and then he came over the top of it just a second ago with another tweet that really takes it to the next level. So talk to us about your background, your relationship with with Ken Paxton. All of it, sir.

[Aaron Reitz]

Yeah, definitely. Well, thanks for having me on, Steve. I have been a loyal war room listener for years and I'm proud to address the War room posse here this morning. So I most recently served in the presidentially appointed Senate confirmed role as the head of the Office of Legal Policy, just most recently in the Justice Department. I resigned from office to deploy back to Texas to run to succeed Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general. And when President Trump nominated me back in December, he said that Aaron Wrights is a true MAGA attorney and a warrior for the Constitution and The reason why he said that about me is primarily because he looked at my three years serving as Ken Paxton's deputy in Texas. From 2020 to 2023, I was Ken Paxton's offensive coordinator, as he likes to call me. He was our head coach of our lawfare operations against the left and against the Biden administration, and I was the offensive coordinator. Paxton and I have been in the trenches for years. We have fought many battles together. We have sustained many battle scars together. And so everybody in Texas is thrilled about Ken running for the Senate and representing Texas in the United States Senate. But a question that a lot of grassroots conservatives are worried about is, gosh, who's going to succeed Ken Paxton? And that question has once and for all been answered. Ken Paxton has said that Aaron Wright's me, his former deputy, is the only candidate in this race to succeed him to keep his foot on the gas, to keep this high horsepower vehicle continuing to fight and take action against the left. I'm proud to have his endorsement. I'm proud that now Texans can finally rest easy and know that, that they've got a true MAGA attorney who has fought the fights that they care about to succeed Ken Paxton as ag.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Aaron, give me a minute on this because we're momentarily, as soon as the President comes to Oval Officer. And cut to that. Given the fact, and you know this better than anybody, how, how. What a basically just rudimentary hold we have on the Justice Department, you know, as Pam and Pam Bondi and. And Todd now with Emil Bovey going to the federal courts, losing a guy like you compare and contrast the import, getting things done at the federal level, which were just strapped for people. I mean, I think cash and everybody, Dan Bongino would tell FBI, hey, we're short of great attorneys, we're short of prosecutors. You had this situation with Haba where she just got bruised, lit by Republicans concurred with it. What is it about Texas? What is it about Texas in this moment that takes a Senate confirmed. I mean, you're like rare platinum right now. Why we take a Senate confirmed warrior MAGA warrior and take them back to Texas. What is happening in Texas? What's going to happen that makes it that important?

[Aaron Reitz]

Yeah, look, it's a great question and figuring out whether it made sense for me to stay at Main justice, what we'll call sort of hq, where all the biggest brass was, or to go out into the front lines, redeploy back to Texas and to wage war against the left there. And so look, that's why When Ken announced for Senate in early April, I didn't announce until mid June because it took me and my colleagues and my superiors, the both in the West Wing and at Main justice, to figure out how important is this to get a fully vetted MAGA attorney to succeed Ken Paxton? Look, the Texas attorney general leads 600 politically appointed attorneys to wage war on all of the various fronts that we care about. And so it's not as though I'm leaving a MAGA Justice Department. It's not as though I just departed and I'm no longer an asset to the America first law and order movement. Now I'm pursuing an office that can actually be more effective. And I look forward to partnering with the Trump administration, to partnering with Trump's Justice Department and all of my former colleagues to deploy those 600 lawyers. It's the largest conservative Republican law firm, state law firm in the country. And so this is a massive infusion of troops that we can project directly at the enemy. And when I was considering, okay, do I stay at doj? Do I go back? The answer was clear. The America first movement, our Law and Order and justice movement, cannot afford to have some squish or some flip flopper or somebody who has not been fully vetted and tested by President Trump and his administration. That's why I'm going back home to Texas. I'm seeking the keys to this office so that I can fully integrate with the Trump administration and deliver the America first agenda right in the Low star, right in the Lone Star State.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Aaron, on the afternoon of the 20th of January, 2021, our first guest on the 5 o' clock edition of the War Room was Ken Paxton. And we talked about being Attorney General under a Biden illegitimate Biden regime. And he walked in and said, hey, where they abide by the Constitution, we'll work with them. Where they're against the Constitution, we're going to fight them. And that started the journey of this show and this audience over the last four or five years of this fight down in Texas, from the impeachment now to the redistricting, all of it. What is your punch list since you're leaving and deploying to the front lines as you talk to the President and may justice. What is your top two or three on your punch list of what needs to be done down in Texas?

[Aaron Reitz]

Yeah, I love that you go all the way back to January of 2021, the day after Joe Biden got inaugurated. And so I was with Paxton in the fall of 2020. We went through that sham election. We filed Texas v. Pennsylvania to challenge the constitutionality of four states management of that fraud election. And so while one of my main opponents in this race was out there defending Mike Pence and saying that the election was great, Ken Paxton and I were in the Oval Office in December of 2020 to stand up for the righteousness and integrity and confidence of what should have been a good election. We challenged that on January 21st of 2021, that date that you just cited when Attorney General Paxton came on your show. My colleagues and I were in the office of the Attorney General in federal court via Zoom during the still at the height of the COVID era, already dropping our first lawsuit against the Biden administration specifically on border security and Alexandra Mayorkas refusal to deport illegal aliens. I was the offensive coordinator responsible for the Texas v. Biden docket. That was my docket to lead the Texas v. Biden fight under Paxton. And so even going all the way back then, it brings back such good memories of the times that we were in the trenches fighting against the lawless Biden administration. And in fact, when President Trump nominated me for my DOJ post back in December, he specifically cited all of the dozens and dozens and dozens of lawsuits that I brought against the Biden administration under Attorney General Paxton's leadership. So what I would say is moving forward my tenure, it's a four year term as Texas ag, I'm going to have two chapters as ag. Chapter number one is going to be deep integration with the Trump administration to advance the ball on the America first law and order agenda. This administration and this Attorney General and all of my legal colleagues in this administration know that they need a fully vetted and tested true MAGA attorney, as President Trump said is me. So it's going to be that deep integration with the Trump administration. In the middle of my term, there's going to be a presidential election. God forbid a Democrat wins. I hope that a Republican does and we're going to get more integration with a Republican administration. However, if a Democrat wins and captures the White House, you can guarantee that I, as the next Texas Attorney General am going to wage blitzkrieg against a lawless left wing liberal administration. We are going to throw sand in the gears, we are going to block them in court and we are going to protect law order, liberty and justice and Texans constitutional rights and we're going to lead the way for the whole country. That's what happens when Texas leads. All of these other states follow. And the reason why this role is so mission essential is because as Goes Texas, so goes the nation. This is where the battle lines are being drawn. It's why the establishment, the anti maga, the anti Trump, the Never Trumpers, the people who wanted to undermine the President, it's why they've picked their candidate in this race. It's not me. And so even though the war Room posse is a national audience, okay. And so most of the time, folks aren't paying attention to, you know, a sort of second tier state level offices. No, the battle lines in this fight for Texas Attorney General are now national. It's MAGA versus anti maga. It's a Trump guy versus a never Trumper. And and so the war Room posse around the country has got to be paying attention to this race because either Texas is going to go the way of America first, or it's going to go right back into the hands of the Rhinos and the establishment. And I'm going to stop it before.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

We get to 2028. We got to get through 2026. There's a firestorm right now in Texas about adding these five additional seats. Walk us through. Because the source guys who blew $300 million trying to turn Texas blue got to a light shade of purple. Then we reverse it. President Trump won. They have not given up. The sun has targeted Texas. And we're talking about 2026. What are your thoughts there, sir?

[Aaron Reitz]

Yeah, look, it's fun to watch the liberal tears drop off their faces when they went on their little stunt to leave the state. And lo and behold, just like I was saying on various media appearances and on the campaign trail, at the end of the day, Texas passed the new maps and we're getting five new seats. Those five new seats are consistent with 5th Circuit Court of Appeals legal holdings, and it's consistent with Supreme Court holdings on the same subject. And look, Texas is now more Republican than ever. As you rightly pointed out, Trump swept Texas in overwhelming numbers. And those congressional lines ought to best reflect the political leanings of the state. That is how political lines are drawn. And so these far left liberal Democrats are out of state, seething, going on their little press conferences, getting clicks on their little social medias, trying to get fundraising. And we drag their butts back to Texas and we cram the new maps down their throat and they're going to.

[Elaine Kalati]

Go cry about it.

[Aaron Reitz]

Well, they can cry harder. Because at the end of the day, what's going to happen is Texas is going to be better represented in the United States Congress. And I, as the next Attorney General, I'm going to have to fight, fight them in court for years to come. I know this because last time we did redistricting in Texas it was in 2021. We got the 2020 census. 2021 redistricting happened, all the lines were drawn. I was still Paxton's deputy and offensive coordinator at the time and I had to coordinate litigation troops against a barrage of Soros funded hardcore left wing fancy law firm Democratic aligned nonprofits suing Texas, bringing constitutional claims, voting Rights act claims, Civil Rights act claims. And they're going to do exactly that. In fact, lawsuits are already dropping. This litigation doesn't go away quickly. It's a years long process. So your next AG not only has to have the balls and the courage to be able to block what the left is trying to do, but he's got to be able to walk into the beautifully appointed armory of state and federal law weapons to repel the left wing enemy that wants to turn Texas into something that it's not. And the only AG candidate that is equipped to do that, who knows what he's doing and who's ready to fight the fight in this lawfare environment that we're in, it's me. And so those maps are great number one and number two, as I'm when I'm AG, those maps are going to stick.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Aaron, we got 30 seconds. Where do people go to find out more about you and more about your campaign? Sir?

[Aaron Reitz]

They can go to my website aaronwrightz.com a a r o n R-E-I-T z.com and they can follow me on X Aaronwrites Aaron Underscore R E I T Z thanks Steve.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Thank you brother. The battle is engaged in the Lone Star State.

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[Ali Mercado]

Kill America's voice Family.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Are you on Getter yet?

[Elaine Kalati]

No.

[Ali Mercado]

What are you waiting for? It's free, it's uncensored, and it's where all the biggest voices in conservative media are speaking out.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Download the Getter app right now. It's totally free. It's where I put up exclusively all of my content 24 hours a day. Want to know what Steve Bannon's thinking? Go to Getter.

[Unknown Male Guest]

That's right. You can follow all of your favorites.

[Ali Mercado]

Steve Bannon, Charlie Kirk, Jack Posobi, and so many more.

[Aaron Reitz]

Download the Getter app now.

[Elaine Kalati]

Sign up for free and be part of the Newfoundland.

[Unknown Male Guest]

And I'm so proud to be here at the Won't Back Down Tour because now we have our eyes fixed on 2026, the midterms. And let me tell you something you already know. Donald Trump knows if the election were held today, they would lose. Donald Trump knows that when the election is held in November next year, they will lose. That's why he came out and he said blatantly, texas, I want you to redraw your lines to get me four to five new seats. That's why he's telling other states that are run by Republicans, we need you to redistrict so we can get more seats, because he knows they can't win.

[Elaine Kalati]

So.

[Unknown Male Guest]

So he wants to cheat the same thing he's done his entire life. But I'll tell you something else I feel really good about is what California is doing. They're saying, we're not going to let you do this without a fight. And even when, think about this. Even when Democrats, when we have to do something we're not necessarily fully proud of, but we know we have to do to protect democracy, even then we do it differently because California is putting it on the ballot to put it to the people. And that will make the victory even more sweeter when that ballot proposal passes in November.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Okay, the show's a little different than we had planned. The reason is the President's going to be coming in momentarily, we think, to the Oval Office. On executive orders. These executive orders, ladies and gentlemen, I think many of them are tying to tie back to the maximalist strategy we've been advocating now for, I don't know, a month, over a month, some very important executive orders. I believe some of this is tied to the fact that President Trump's, what he's done in Washington, D.C. is extraordinary about law and order and safety. And he's taken that show on the road to Chicago and I think New York City and maybe even Los Angeles. That's the three that we recommend. But Chicago is definitely in the works, maybe Voltor. Anyway, more about that I want to bring on Elaine Kalati from Los Angeles, an activist, someone that's talked about home rule and this horrible situation with the fires and the Palisades and the governor. And everybody's focused down there, Elaine, on the governor's race next year. But right now we have a bigger race, and that is a throwdown by Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom is rolling the dice on a presidential run in 2028 to basically take five seats from the Republicans. These are folks who get 40% of the vote or 42% of the vote in California. He wants to take him down to four seats in a 52 seat delegation. You've, you have been known to have a pretty strong opinion of things. Walk us through your sense of what Gavin Newsom's doing. And is there going to be a fight back from the, from the MAGA base, from the gop, from the right in California to thwart this in November?

Ma'.

Am.

[Elaine Kalati]

Hi. Thanks for having me on. Okay, so the first thing I want to say is that Gavin Newsom was losing. He was losing ground, losing his position, losing everywhere. You know that. You've watched it. And the fires came and it sealed the deal. It sealed the deal. It got rid of Gavin Newsom. It was the worst political disaster in history in California. He was done. And when he couldn't extract any more money from the federal government, $1.1 billion, he turned his sights to this redistricting thing, which is essentially a land grab. People don't understand redistricting. D annexing, moving maps is what it is. And it's a land grab. Once you grab the land, you grab the people. They imported 15 million immigrants into the California region and they put them in all different towns and then they redistrict, they count those heads and then they get more seats. It's just a scam. We're in the middle of a scam.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

So the Republican Party, there's been A lot of structural things that's made the Republican Party, you know, weak. And they got this. You know, you have the. You don't really have primaries anymore. So. So consistently, the Republicans, although I think it's 38 to 42% of the state, has been grossly underrepresented in the assembly, in the congressional districts and statewide offices. Just how you're an activist is now coming to it and firing people up. How do people anticipate you're going to fire? Because I understand all that about Newsom, and I know he's not going to run on his policies as governor of California for the presidency. What he's done is gone to the playbook of their leaderless, and they don't think their leaders are fighting for them. What he's done is try to mimic President Trump with the memes and with the smack talk. And he's using this 26, the reditioning, to basically propel himself to the front of the Democratic primary as a fighter. So how do you anticipate people in California, given that we don't have a great track record of. You have. You have more MAGA in California than any state in the union, but just structural issues and the fact that you haven't had leaders who really want to go to the mat. We haven't won a lot. So how. How are the grassroots? How are people like you going to turn this round? When. Do not underestimate Gavin Newsom. He's a very cunning, a very sly individual who now has the entire media in back of him because they are looking for something to stop President Trump. And the only way they can stop President Trump is to win the House of representatives in 26 and begin to impeach him. Ma'. Am.

[Elaine Kalati]

Okay, first of all, I want to say Trump is like a mean dog to people here. They're scared of him. And if he's not here, he can't be friendly, we can't be around him, and we can't see the evidence of how amazing it is to have conservative policy. And we're out of the conversation. I mean, I think, you know, we're out of the conversation completely. There's never a minute that we are involved in anything federally. In California, we're completely blocked because of Gavin Newsom's relationship with Donald Trump and President Trump, and President Trump's home rule idea would save California. I have had a close eye on that for a long time. But that's intimidating to the Democrats. They're scared to have any kind of what they want to Call martial law, when all it is is a tough on crime act. We have no police officer, we have 8,500 police for like 15 million people. It's insane. You go, you're on, on hold on 91 1. And they're like, what is your emergency? We're like, you're our emergency. They don't answer the phone. If Donald Trump was here, if there was some sort of containment of our crime. Look, every crime bill that's passed, including Prop 36, they don't, they kick it out. When it gets to the top level, we have smash and grab here. You're allowed to steal $1,000 worth of stuff with absolutely zero repercussion. And with our burned downtowns, we have people just squatting and sleeping everywhere and they want to say, no, don't look over here. But it's 100% true. We have people here that can manage that. We turn the state, but we have to be in the conversation before November. We can't wait till after November. And you know and I know there's no support for GOP here. I'm going to the GOP convention over the 4th, 5th, 5th and 6th. There's no money. I'm talking to people that want to run. They don't have any money. They don't have any support because there's no GOP support in California. We need money here in California to support conservative policy. Without backing, they can't do it. And I am one person, I am one person backing conservative policy. I'm not interested in backing deals with lobbyists so that I can buy land. That's the backing that we get here. Land developers and people that are looking to game the system. We need real policymakers and backing for real policymakers in California to turn the state. And we don't have it because we're out of the conversation. If Trump's here now, walking through the streets and saying hi, people would shake hands and be so happy and the conservatives would come out from their homes. Right now they're hiding in their homes. If I wear a MAGA hat, I don't have any friends in California. Needless to say, I see this is what caused all of this. Look around you. There's nothing left to lose. All your houses are gone, all your money is gone. You have no representation. Gavin's not here, Karen's not here. None of them are around. Altadena, it's 19% black. It's wiped out two generations, three generations. Middle class Americans lost their homes. They're not talking about that. They're down downtown wiping graffiti off of the wall from the people that they brought into the state and saying, oh, look, we're cleaning up la. I should leave. That's what they're doing.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Are you an advocate President Trump, you know, Washington, D.C. he's completely changed. Washington, D.C. and I think 10 or 12 days now there. And it's just been reported this morning that folks are talking to governors. They're really working to a quite detailed plan for Chicago. Right. But that LA and New York are on the, are on the list. Are you an advocate of President Trump doing in Los Angeles what he's done in, in, in Washington, D.C. of actual federalizing the National Guard and sending them in to not simply augment local police, but actually to take over some of the policing activities? Ma'. Am.

[Elaine Kalati]

Okay, so, yes, Steve, and this is, this is a very important subject. When the fires happened, we had National Guard. National Guard was here. They stayed for four months. They closed the Palisades. They had checkpoints. And a lot of people in the beginning were upset. But by the time they left, I cannot tell you how much we missed them. It wasn't just the, the presence, it was the organization. It was the politeness. They were so gracious and so polite. They didn't operate like our police department. Our police department is terrified. We have not supported our police department and they have been stripped of any of their rights to govern the thing that they've been hired to do. The police, these people that sign up to be police care about their communities. And when you strip them of the right to do their job, they're in danger every day. And what happened when National Guard came here, and everybody knows it, no one's going to deny it, it sorted it out right away. It made everybody stop. Crime ceased. It was the presence of it all. So if anyone wants to tell me they don't want National Guard here and they want. That's not true, that's not true. They might not want to say it out loud. I'm not afraid to. We need them here. This whole thing is run amok, okay? Amok. Our we. You know how they deal with it. They say don't go outside with jewelry on. That's their idea of how to handle it. Maybe you shouldn't go outside with jewelry.

[Aaron Reitz]

Do.

[Elaine Kalati]

Do this. Park your cars on with your windows open and don't leave anything in them so they don't smash the windows. That's our crime. That's our police.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Elaine, hang on for, Hang on for one second. Quite powerful. We're also going to bring some others in to join the conversation. Like I said, we will have to cut to the Oval Office. As soon as the President United States enters, he's going to be signing executive orders. What is it about exactly? What Elaine is talking about, law and order in these sanctuary cities. Short commercial break Back to the War Room in just a moment.

According to the Department of Energy, blackouts could increase by 10,000% over the next few years. It's because of massive energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers. We talk about that all the time.

Here in the war room.

And we have a fragile power grid. It just cannot keep up with that demand. I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of being without power, even for a day. That's why I got the grid. Dr. 3300 from my patriot supply. It's a powerful solar generator that runs refrigerators, AC units, medical devices, power tools, anything you need to write out a blackout. And right now, for their Christmas in July event, they're including over $1,000 in free survival gear with your generator, including emergency food supply, water filtration, survival tools and more. You heard that right. Over a thousand bucks in free gear for a limited time. Head to my Patriotsupply.com Bannon that's my Patriotsupply.com Bannon and grab the Christmas in July bundle before it's gone. Blackouts are coming. Go to mypatronsupply.com Bannon and get prepared today. Here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.

Okay, I want to thank the want to thank the [e-mail] the birchgold.com ban at the end of the Dollar Empire. So much going on today in finance. Axios has got an amazing story about how President Trump and the MAGA movement are put the central bankers on notice. That was not a set of meetings they had in Jackson Hole last week. I've got the Axios story I think up on getter. You go check it out right now, but you can get the end of the Dollar Empire. Understand why the dollar is the prime reserve currency is so central to your personal financial life. Now we've got seven free installments. We're working on number eight and nine and we're going to come out with a print edition sometime after Labor Day. More on that later this week. Birchgold.com promo code Bannon understand capital markets, understand all the nomenclature that you need to understand to connect money and politics. Go check it out today and also find out what gold has been a hedge in Times of financial turbulence for, I don't know, 5,000 years of man's history. Right. You see some pattern recognition there? Birchgold.com promo code, war room. Elaine, I just want to go back because the audience is very interested in this. Your thing about it's pretty shocking because particularly in certain areas of California, it's some of the most prosperous and really been the backbone of a lot of what goes on in the nation as far as our economy. Are you telling me citizens are so intimidated that they're told not to wear their jewelry out that they leave their windows down and their cars unlocked so to not destroy the guys breaking in and the carjackings are out of control. Is that modern Los Angeles?

[Elaine Kalati]

It's not just Los Angeles, Steve. Our state is under attack. And the reason that people don't talk about it is because so much crime is unreported. And the reason that it's unreported is because you can't get the police to show up. So it's really like there's no. The math is in. I mean, you cannot walk around Beverly Hills. The little Santa Monica promenade, which was probably the new Beverly Hills mall, is closed. I mean, let me just tell you, everyone is gone. There's no Nordstrom's. There's no Tiffany's. There's no ysl. There's no Burberry. There's no. Any large retailer has left California. I mean, at least in the Palisades, they left because of a fire. The rest of it, they left because it's smash and grab and they can't make a living. And then there's no patrons to go down there and shop. You know, their cure for the Santa Monica promenade was to have open container at night. So people just walk around drunk. Everything. Nordstrom's is leaving and. Never mind, then let's just get to the cvs. All the stores closed. What's. What's the other little. You know, all the little. Little stores are closed. They're. They can't stay open. If you go into a. A drugstore to try to buy, I don't know, makeup, you have to stand in front of a glass thing with a lock and wait for someone to help you. The business is gone. There's no retail. Covid took away retail and service, and then the criminals came in and insured that. It's gone. We can't live like that. Without a total overhaul, it will never repair itself. And that's what they want. They don't want you in the street. They want you in Your house. It's a completely different mentality. That is not California. We are outside people. We drive our car, we go in the ocean, we have dogs. We do not stay home. And we like to shop and go to the mall. No, I want to go to the mall. I can't go to the mall. It's not safe. They need gun things at the front of the mall. You can't go in there. There's people just in gangs and they, they do it in parking lots. They take over streets, takeover. Street crime in California is at an all time high. They just take over the whole street. They race, shoot things up, they take all your stuff. I mean, it's terrible. They roll you and beat you and leave you for dead. And the cops do not come because they cannot come because there's too many people and not enough costs. We need. If we don't get this under control, the place is unlivable.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Wow. Let me bring in Ali Mercado. Ali, you're actually in the state Assembly. You've been with this whole fight against Gavin Newsom. I mean, the state's in tatters economically, financially, law and order. Yet he's springboarding a presidential run quite smartly off of just taking on Donald Trump and doing what it looks to us as an illegal redistricting to take votes away from the Republicans. I think the state's like 38 to 40, 42% Republican. You have a 52 seat delegation, the largest in the union. It's going to go down to only four Republicans and 48 Democrats. Tell us about it. You see it up close and personal in the assembly every day. What's going on there?

[Ali Mercado]

Well, the Democrats are very scared because what do we know? We know that Californians have fled blue states large in part because of things like what Elaine is talking about. The cost of living here is unbelievably high. The quality of life goes down by the second that Gavin Newsom is in office. And then in the state legislature, you have Democrats who want to gaslight us into believing that it's not happening. Well, the truth is, when the Census comes in 2030, we are going to lose seats in California simply because we've lost population. So how can they prepare for that? They can make it Donald Trump's fault rather than our own fault and make this sham of a special election that. I'm glad you are talking about retail crime, Elaine, because Prop 36, that was out in California on the ballot, passed in every single county and passed by 70% overwhelmingly with Democrats, independents and Republicans. What was Prop 36? Prop 36 was voters cleaning up the mess that the legislature couldn't. And it ensured that retail crime and homelessness and drugs were. We're going to be illegal again in California. How did we get there? Prop 47, which was also on the ballot years ago, was labeled the Safe Schools and Communities. So guess what? People didn't read what it was. People only saw the title. And what that did is it basically said you can steal up to $950 worth of worth of merchandise on any given time and not go to jail. You can refuse resources as a homeless person and not have any type of repercussions or can law enforcement do anything for you and you can be caught with drugs. But as long as it's not that much or it's not that bad, we're just going to slap you on the wrist and let you go. For goodness sakes. I was on the floor battling earlier this year if buying a 16 or 17 year old child for sex should be a felony. That was a real conversation that we had to have and fight for on the floor. And it wasn't until the public got involved and absolutely exposed the disgustingness that we were even discussing this, that then Gavin Newsom got involved and said, yeah, we need to do something about this. We aren't funding that Prop 36 that I just told you about. Why? Because we have a $20 billion deficit. And Gavin Newsom said the voters wanting this isn't enough. But now he's going to spend $250 million on a spirit special election which is a $250 million contribution to his 2028 presidential campaign from the California taxpayers. It's ridiculous. It's a slap in the face to voters in California. Let's give you another history lesson. Let's go all the way back to 2010 when voters overwhelmingly once again supported an independent redistricting commission. This independent redistricting commission had Republicans, Democrats and independents. It allowed voters to pick their politicians, not politicians to pick their voters. These people on this commission couldn't even speak unless they were in a public room using a computer that they could draw the maps publicly and take public input. It was hours and hours and hours of public input. There were translators that were made available. This was spanning throughout the state. And although I still don't believe the independent redistricting commission was without further flaw, it was still a much better option than backroom deals that are happening right now. When it comes to the drawing of these lines, I'm the vice chair of The Elections Committee, when I had attorneys in front of me, I had the authors of these bills. I had Assembly Democrat leadership, I had the chair. Nobody could answer the fundamental question of who drew the maps. And guess who was there testifying that this was a great idea. It was labor unions, it was the Teachers association, it was Planned Parenthood. So don't tell me that special interests weren't involved in this as well. Why is this? Because the California Democrat supermajority does not care about their voters. They care about their political futures and ensuring that they're going to have a job and keeping their friends happy. Not the disenfranchised communities that they claim to care about. Not the minority communities, not the underserved communities, because if they did, they would listen to me. My district is 65% Hispanic and Latino. The average income in my district is $31,000 a year. I love that Gavin Newsom has been touting on his social media how we are number one for agriculture. What he leaves out of that is that he deprives us of water, he deprives us of resources. He has allowed us to be regulated into the oblivion that the average cost of compliance for a farmer right now is $1,600 per acre. So anybody who is listening, if you are not from California, this is your problem too. Because Gavin Newsom has his eyes set on the White House. And we have to do everything we can to not only stop the disenfranchisement of California Republicans and independent voters. For the record, if you are an independent voter, this takes your voice completely away. Because most of our districts in California that were swing districts were decided by independent voters, so not just Republicans. Once again, even if you are a Democrat, you should absolutely hate this because your voice is silenced. And don't buy into the nonsense that this is temporary. We have proven in California anything that we say is temporary, we are hungry to make, import it, make permanent. We saw that with COVID We've seen that with taxes. Because I challenge any Democrat to tell me the last time that we lowered taxes that were labeled as temporary.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

By the way. And what happens in California eventually happens to the nation. Ali, we got a bounce right now. I want to make sure there are more MAGA voters in California than any other state in the Union.

Right?

It's got some of the greatest citizens out there. A call to arms. Tell me what you need and where do people go to find out more information? Because a lot of what you just said is news to a lot of people throughout the country, particularly in The MAGA movement. So tell us, where do they go, where they get more information? What do you guys need?

[Ali Mercado]

StopProp50.com is a place that I know. We are getting the information out. Follow, you know, your leaders, your Republican leaders on social media. We will let you know what we need. But right now, we need to raise as many funds as possible because we know that the Democrats have the funds out in California that we don't to fight this. We have to educate voters so that they can't do things like they did with Prop 36 to deceive them that a yes vote is a no vote or a no vote is a yes vote. We will absolutely defeat this at the ballot box or in a courtroom because they have violated our California constitution as it stands. And I will not stand for it. But it's truly been an honor to be here. We are not backing down, I can promise you. I'm headed to the floor right now for another floor fight, and this is far from over.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

The reason we selected you today, one of the great young fighters in this country. So good on you. You're gonna have the backing of the war. Impossible. What's your social media?

[Ali Mercado]

Where do people find out more about you, Assemblywoman Macedo? Or if you want my spicier version, politicallybrunette.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

Thank you, ma'. Am. Elaine, where do people go? Great. Elaine, where they go? Where do people go to find out more about you, ma'? Am.

[Elaine Kalati]

Best places. Hashtag lipstick farmer, Instagram. That's me.

[Stephen K. Bannon]

I hope, Elaine, that you. I hope you consider taking our shot here running for governor, because I think people need. They need fighters like you. So take a. You should take a hard look at that. But thank you so much for coming on the War Room this morning, folks. They're, they're toughest fighters in California as they are in Texas. They're actually more MAGA voters in California, as many as in Texas. This is an opportunity for throw. You have a throwdown, you got it right here. You don't have to wait to the midterms. You do not have to wait till the 2028 election. You want to take on the actual disease that's killing this country, you can do it in November, you can do it in California. And right there, you saw that there are some young fighters that are not going to back down. They're tough as boot leather out there. What we have to do is make sure we support them. Okay, short commercial break.

We're going to return the White House.

President Trump is ready to sign some executive orders going to cut to the Oval Office as soon as he does.

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