Podcast Summary: Bannon's War Room - Episode 4828
Supreme Court Backs Trump's Deportations
Date: October 4, 2025
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Overview
This episode centers on two major themes:
- Geopolitical and National Security Shifts for the U.S., with a special focus on Ukraine, Russia, and evolving strategies regarding hemispheric defense in the Americas.
- Supreme Court’s Ruling on Venezuelan Deportations, enabling President Trump to roll back the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans, drastically changing immigration enforcement.
Guests include Kurt Mills, Mark Krikorian (Center for Immigration Studies), and Tasia Gill, who together analyze the shifting sands of American foreign policy, the practical realities and implications of large-scale deportations, and how these topics intersect in an era of what Bannon calls the "kinetic part of World War III."
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Shifting Geopolitical Strategies: Ukraine, Russia, and U.S. Policy
Bannon’s Opening Rant: The Regime and ‘Kinetic’ Escalation
- Bannon frames the current era as a “primal scream of a dying regime,” declaring a shift from traditional interventionism toward new modes of U.S. engagement, especially against “the Chinese Communist Party” (CCP).
- He contends the U.S. is being “sucked into the kinetic part of the Third World War,” particularly in Ukraine.
- Quote: “We are getting inexorably sucked into the kinetic part of the Third World War.” —Steve Bannon [05:24]
Ukraine and Escalation Concerns
- Discusses the ongoing and intensifying U.S. military involvement in Ukraine, describing it as analogous to early U.S. engagement in Israel’s past wars.
- Points to astronomical casualties: "1.8 million Ukrainians dead or wounded and over a million Russians” (attributed to President Trump’s inside sources) [04:48].
- Criticizes mainstream media’s lack of coverage of these “World War I Western Front” level casualties due to their brutality.
Kurt Mills on Russia’s Strategic Realignment
- Notes Putin’s pivot toward an open embrace of Eurasianism and away from Europe, elaborated at the recent Valdai Club meeting in Russia.
- “They see themselves as a civilization apart ... not going to work with Europeans ... They will work with Americans and more with Chinese, but don’t trust them.” —Kurt Mills [06:52]
- Confirms Russia’s move from seeing itself as a European nation to a “lone wolf” Eurasian power might mean increased readiness for conflict with NATO or complete disengagement. “Geopolitically, they are a lone wolf. Lone wolf can be good or bad, but they have nuclear weapons. … It’s incumbent upon the United States to work pragmatically with them.” —Kurt Mills [10:55]
World Historical Parallels
- Bannon and Mills debate the analogy to pre-Barbarossa WWII, with Bannon expressing fear that the U.S. is careening toward a major, unstoppable conflict.
2. Supreme Court Ruling on Venezuelan Deportations
Mark Krikorian’s Legal Breakdown
- SCOTUS reaffirmed that the President has authority to end TPS for Venezuelans, reversing lower court blocks.
- “The law says the president can do this. It’s called temporary and he’s ending it. Up to 600,000 or more Venezuelan illegal aliens … will lose their work permits, lose their ability to stay.” —Mark Krikorian [13:00]
- Most of these Venezuelans, Krikorian says, were not coming directly from Venezuela but from other Latin American countries, responding to a perceived invitation under Biden.
Impact and Practical Challenges
- Bannon asks about the feasibility of mass deportation, especially “in the middle of a shooting war.”
- Krikorian notes many can be sent to third countries (Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, etc.), due to existing repatriation agreements.
- “Some could self-deport … others can be taken into custody and thrown out. The administration has agreements with a variety of countries to deport third country nationals there.” —Mark Krikorian [18:58]
- Emphasizes this is the largest drop in illegal and legal immigrant populations in decades, attributing it to the Biden/Trump border shifts and enforcement.
Current Progress and Trump Admin Immigration Policy
- Krikorian grades the Trump administration’s performance as “A minus,” citing a drop of 2.2 million immigrants (1.6M illegals) since January.
- Pushes for more focus on “ordinary working illegal immigrants” and a crackdown on legal immigration scams (e.g., H1B tech visas).
3. U.S. Hemispheric Defense: Venezuela, Brazil, Latin America
Military Buildup Off Venezuela’s Coast
- Discussion of U.S. amphibious ready group (ARG) with 4,000 marines and sailors off Venezuela, suggesting preparations for possible kinetic intervention.
- “We have an ARG amphibious ready group … this is a big, big, big armada.” —Bannon [17:11]
- Bannon frames the current Trump administration’s hesitation to invoke War Powers, with legal justification being “an operation against non-state actors”—targeting cartels, not sovereign nations [37:00].
Debate on Intervention Feasibility and Risks
- Mills warns against regime change attempts, invoking Libya and Syria as disasters that led to refugee flows and chaos. Warns that “if you break it, you buy it.”
- “Maduro is maybe a Latino Gaddafi … If you break it, you buy it and you will see tons of people flowing over.” —Kurt Mills [26:25]
- Also warns of “neocon 3.0” temptations, saying the Monroe Doctrine approach must avoid sparking a new Ukraine-like crisis in the Western Hemisphere [31:06].
- Suggests the way forward is “to be moderate, pragmatic, slowly move the Maduro people toward accommodation … avoid bloodshed” [32:50].
Tasia Gill (Security Consultant) on ‘Asymmetric War’
- Outlines two options for fighting cartels:
- Army special forces supporting local allies for targeted strikes
- Larger, direct-action U.S. military missions similar to Global War on Terrorism
- Warns that any step toward seizing ports and transport nodes is “a small scale invasion … once we take those targets, we have to hold them and defend them” [40:24].
4. Broader Implications: Israel, Power Politics, Media Positioning
Israel and Netanyahu Posture
- Bannon asks if Netanyahu is in a “Churchill moment”—will he be turfed out post-conflict like Churchill was after WWII?
- Mills: “Netanyahu, while the towering figure … is also an invincibly precarious one. … For Netanyahu, we don't know. His position is certainly stronger, and he was definitely underrated after the October 7 attacks. But an election is really dicey” [34:37].
Self-Positioning and Media Landscape
- Bannon repeatedly highlights War Room’s outsider credentials, accusing mainstream media of ignoring inconvenient truths and lauding his guests for bringing "real numbers" and insights.
- Bannon positions his show as the place for “the latest news from all and provide their insider insights,” pushing against “histrionic Europeans” and “neocon” nostalgia.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “We are getting inexorably sucked into the kinetic part of the Third World War.” —Steve Bannon [05:24]
- “They see themselves as a civilization apart … not going to work with Europeans … They are more in line with the Chinese now, but they don’t trust them.” —Kurt Mills [06:52]
- “Up to 600,000 or more Venezuelan illegal aliens … will lose their work permits, lose their ability to stay.” —Mark Krikorian [13:00]
- “If you break it, you buy it and you will see tons of people flowing over. … I think it is curious … these regime change plans could be completely counterproductive.” —Kurt Mills [26:37]
- “Netanyahu at this point needs the instability, he needs the crisis. It’s almost a sort of gormless desire for chaos. Chaos is how he stays in the mix.” —Kurt Mills [36:10]
Timestamps of Key Segments
- [00:02–06:21]: Bannon’s opening monologue; shifting U.S. security posture; Ukraine war escalation
- [06:21–11:49]: Kurt Mills on Russia's evolving strategy, Valdai Club, Eurasian identity
- [12:03–14:20]: Mark Krikorian on Supreme Court ruling, TPS rollback, and mass Venezuelan deportations
- [18:55–22:42]: Logistics and regional agreements for deportations; update on Trump administration’s immigration enforcement progress
- [24:57–27:01]: U.S. military buildup in Venezuela; regime change risks
- [31:06–33:10]: Hemispheric defense, pitfalls of a new Ukraine scenario in Latin America
- [34:37–36:13]: Netanyahu’s political calculus, historical Churchill parallel
- [38:12–41:18]: Tasia Gill on kinetic war vs. cartels, operational risks of seizing Venezuelan ports
Conclusion
The episode weaves together the legal and strategic shifts of the Trump administration—from the war zones of Ukraine and Venezuela to the legal battle over immigration at home—painting a picture of a government seeking bolder, more direct action on all fronts. The panel presents a blend of alarm, pragmatism, and ideological skepticism of both historic U.S. interventionism and contemporary “neocon 3.0” ambitions, with frequent allusions to history and present-day political risks.
Listeners come away with a sense of momentous changes underway, both in how America defines its role in the world and how the Supreme Court underpins that role at home.