Bannon’s War Room: Episode 5009 – Live from AMFest Day 2
Date: December 19, 2025
Host: Steve Bannon
Featured Guests: Dr. Peter Navarro, Frank Gaffney, Brian Glenn, Mickey, Various Audience and Organizational Representatives
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode broadcasts live from Day 2 of AMFest 2025 in Phoenix, focusing on energizing the conservative base around the themes of resilience, patriotism, and political victories. The War Room underlines the economic plans of President Trump, the legacy and impact of conservative organizations like Turning Point, and the importance of religious and cultural identity in American politics. The episode also highlights new activist initiatives and features music from the J6 Choir, tributes to allies, and pointed commentary on critical issues facing the nation, especially regarding economics, security, and political unity.
Key Segments & Discussion Points
1. Opening Tribute: The J6 Choir & The Anthem of the Free
[00:01–06:24]
- J6 Choir performance: The episode opens with a performance from the J6 Choir, a group of January 6th defendants, debuting their song “Anthem of the Free.” The lyrics express themes of sacrifice, unity, freedom, and gratitude for Donald Trump's pardons.
- Memorable Moments:
- Steve Bannon: “We stand as one, united in this fight for liberty. Justice for our voices. Ring the anthem of the free.” [00:38]
- Mickey: “Freedom worth dying for. Dreams worth fighting for. God got us, I promise that's the reason I smile. Protesting with our voice and our presence and our words.” [01:16]
- Tribute to Trump: The choir thanks Trump for “giving us a second chance on life” (03:55), with Dr. Peter Navarro echoing gratitude for the pardons.
2. Economic Victories, Conservative Legacy, and Tribute to Charlie Kirk
[06:24–11:13]
- Charlie Kirk’s Impact: Bannon and Navarro discuss Kirk’s crucial role in the Trump administration’s staffing and policy influence.
- Dr. Navarro: “Charlie lives on here within the Trump administration... every day that those people are here pulling an oar for Trump, Charlie had a hand in putting them in their seats, and we should remember that.” [07:08]
- The Importance of Recent Elections: Bannon recounts Republican electoral successes since 2016—emphasizing the “only loss” being in the 2018 midterms—and frames every contest since as a comeback.
- Steve Bannon: “If you go back… over the last 10 years, we've lost one federal election, and that was in 18, President Trump's first term.” [10:07]
- Thesis for 2026: The future “tip of the spear” is the War Room followers, and the upcoming economic plan will be pivotal.
3. Deep Dive: Economics, Inflation, and Immigration
[11:13–14:44 | 16:56–22:42]
- Navarro’s Breakdown of Inflation: Navarro blames Democrats and Biden’s immigration policies for surges in housing costs and broader inflation, quantifying immigrant impact and linking it to rents.
- Dr. Navarro: “For every 1 million illegals that Biden let into the country over four years, that increased housing costs and rents by 1%... That's a 20% national increase, Steve.” [12:37]
- Food Pricing & Supply Chain: Navarro hits Biden for high egg and chicken prices, blaming policy responses to health crises and lauding the rapid recovery in broiler chicken supplies.
- Trump’s Economic Plan Highlighted:
- Navarro: “All those good things that are coming in 2026 as a result… are going to come hard and beautiful. Take for example, the 100% expensing of investment. That is going to provoke a wave of construction jobs and then of factory jobs.” [19:10–20:38]
4. Activism and Organization Spotlight: Watchman Action & Grassroots Power
[25:23–30:17]
- Call to Action: Bannon encourages audience members to pitch their organizations, spotlighting Watchman Action—a ministry equipping churches for advocacy.
- Audience Engagement: Emphasizes the “Bannon effect” in boosting conservative activism, inviting diverse groups to leverage the War Room’s platform.
5. Gold, Precious Metals, and Populist Financial Education
[30:17–37:52]
- Gold & Silver’s Role: Bannon and a Birch Gold representative discuss the importance of hard assets and the new “End of the Dollar Empire” educational report.
- Bannon: “We take it all the way American politics in the 19th century… why populism was so powerful and… why they came in with the Federal Reserve, why they came in with the income tax…” [31:38]
- Financial Literacy: Positioning gold and precious metals as a hedge, not just an investment.
6. Identity, Patriotism, and Audience Stories
[43:21–46:09]
- Audience Testimonies: Supporters recount actions taken to back Trump at rallies and trials, reinforcing devotion and grassroots activism.
- Mickey: “We fought like our life depends on it. We went to Pennsylvania. Door knocking. We went to D.C. to visit January 6th pictures. Every month, we fought. We love this country more than Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi combined.” [45:50]
- Bannon: Praises the crowd’s resilience and the movement’s “anti-fragile” nature.
7. Tucker Carlson Clip & the Debate on Islam, Security, and National Identity
[37:52–43:21]
- Tucker Carlson Clip: Played to the crowd, Carlson calls for unity, warns against fake “race wars,” and criticizes those dividing Americans over religion.
- Tucker Carlson: “Attacking millions of Americans because they're Muslims, it's disgusting. ... You should not attack people on those grounds... what you're doing is trying to divide the country.” [38:28–39:01]
- Bannon Responds: Refocuses the argument to “Sharia supremacism,” claiming a Christian national identity for the US.
- Bannon: “This is about Sharia supremacism… an aspect of Islam that is not compatible with the Christian West. ... I am a Christian nationalist, and this is a Christian country.” [39:17]
- Frank Gaffney Segment: Warns about the Muslim Brotherhood, views “Sharia supremacism” as a civilizational threat, points to Europe as a cautionary example.
- Gaffney: “What is that? It is the DNA of a political ideology that is promoted… what the perfect man Muhammad taught, which is jihad. ... President Trump is poised to make what I think could well prove to be the most important national security decision of the second presidency.” [40:44–43:21]
8. Political Strategy & Future Battles
[46:09 onward]
- Lessons from Recent Elections: Bannon reviews past cycles, reiterates that only “taking their eye off the ball” cost them in 2018.
- Bannon: “We won in 16… we got smoked at traditional 35 or 40 seats in 18. And what happened? Exactly what we told you is going to happen. He got impeached. Correct. Ever since then, we've run the tables.” [46:09]
- Republican Establishment Critique: Bannon criticizes the GOP for failing to play “smash mouth” politics and positions the War Room army as the force that can overcome internal resistance.
Notable Quotes & Key Moments (with Timestamps)
- Steve Bannon: “We formed bonds that can never be broken. I, along with my brothers and sisters weathered the storm. We will never stop fighting for this country…” [00:05]
- Dr. Peter Navarro: “Charlie lives on here within the Trump administration because… Charlie had a big hand in selecting what would be thousands of people…” [07:08]
- Steve Bannon: “We're fixing it by sealing the border. But the other part… a lot of the inflation we're fighting, it's not an on-off switch like a light. It's more like an aircraft carrier that you got to turn around very slowly.” [13:29]
- Dr. Peter Navarro: “Between now and November, my total focus is going to be on not just messaging, because that's just messaging. I'm working on concrete ways to get the inflation rate down and wages up.” [21:41]
- Mickey (audience): “We love this country more than Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi combined.” [45:50]
- Steve Bannon: “I am a Christian nationalist, and this is a Christian country. Now, we're all open for everybody to do what they want to do as far as their religion goes, but we're just not going to roll over.” [39:17]
- Frank Gaffney: “It is the DNA of a political ideology that is promoted in the furtherance of … jihad... President Trump is poised to make what I think could well prove to be the most important national security decision of the second presidency.” [40:44–43:21]
Segment Timestamps
- [00:01] – Opening: Roll call and J6 Choir
- [03:12] – Tribute to Trump for pardons
- [06:24] – Transition to Dr. Navarro; Charlie Kirk’s legacy
- [11:13] – Navarro on inflation and immigration
- [19:10] – Economic plan preview, “big beautiful bill”
- [23:25] – Cartels in beef industry
- [25:23] – Watchman Action organization spotlight
- [31:38] – Financial education: gold, silver, dollar empire
- [37:52] – Tucker Carlson on unity; Bannon & Gaffney on Islam
- [43:21] – Audience patriotism and activism
- [46:09+] – Strategy for future elections and GOP critique
Tone and Style
The episode is highly charged, patriotic, and combative—full of rallying cries, gratitude for Trump, and calls for "action, action, action." The language is direct, frequently colloquial, and appeals heavily to a sense of unity, resistance, and urgency, matching the ethos of the War Room's dedicated audience.
For Those Who Haven't Listened…
This episode energizes its core listeners with music, stories, and strategic overviews, offering a “state of the movement” that’s heavy on celebration of recent wins, warnings about internal and external threats, and a recurring invitation to greater activism. If you want to understand how MAGA strategists see the present and future, this is a clarion snapshot: part pep rally, part policy explainer, and part pointed critique.