Bannon's War Room — Episode 5082: Day 2 of Davos; Minnesota Somalis Donate to ACT Blue

Date: January 20, 2026
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Co-Hosts/Contributors: Natalie Winters, Nor Bin Laden, Philip Patrick
Notable Guests/Speakers: Donald Trump (clips), Mark Carney (clips), Legal Analyst, Political Scientist

Episode Overview

This episode dives deeply into rapidly evolving geopolitical and financial shifts as seen from the Davos conference (World Economic Forum), escalating federal investigations in Minnesota involving Somali-American political donations, and the broader unraveling of the postwar international order. The War Room team explores the uncertainty gripping global elites, the rise of safe-haven commodities like gold and silver, concerns over the U.S. dollar, and growing tensions between nationalist and globalist visions for the future.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Minnesota Investigation: Somali-American Political Influence and Federal Probe

• Natalie Winters reports on a widening Justice Department investigation targeting several Minnesota Democratic officials, seeking documents on their interactions with Somali-American political organizations and donations, particularly those processing funds through ACT Blue.

  • Federal subpoenas have been sent to five Democratic officials, signaling expanding scrutiny ("...prosecutors are seeking documents from the mayor of St. Paul, the state Attorney General, and the Hennepin county attorney…" [00:19]).

• Legal Analyst frames the investigation as a clash between federal immigration enforcement and local officials exercising their First Amendment rights ("...First Amendment protected activity by public officials...advising their citizens on how to...behave if they're confronted by ICE agents..." [02:42]).

• Example of local tension: Minnesota police chief reports ICE officers pulling over even fellow police officers of color demanding citizenship proof ([02:42]).

2. Davos: The ‘Rupture’ of the International Order & Central Bankers' Anxiety

• Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney delivers a stark Davos speech, proclaiming the end of the postwar rules-based international order:

  "We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition...if great powers abandon even the pretense of rules and values for the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests, the gains from transactionalism will become harder to replicate..." — Mark Carney [04:26]

  • He emphasizes that countries are now forced to seek "strategic autonomy" in essential sectors and move away from reliance on American hegemony:

    "A country that can't feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself." [06:53]

  • Warns this turn toward national fortresses makes the world "poorer, more fragile and less sustainable." [07:27]

• Natalie Winters and Nor Bin Laden highlight how this messaging is a public acknowledgment that the U.S.-led order is fracturing, and that European and Canadian elites are preparing for a world where the U.S. dollar is no longer the unchallenged reserve currency ([21:47]; [23:27]).

• Stephen K. Bannon and Philip Patrick connect Carney's warning to the surge in gold and silver as "safe haven" assets. Patrick notes:

  "The post-World War II order was an order based on trust and cooperation and the dollar and government debt thrived in that climate. But what we're seeing internationally now: trust is breaking down and gold is coming back to the fore..." — Philip Patrick [11:33]

3. Currency Wars, The Rise of Gold & Silver, and De-Dollarization

• Dramatic spike in gold ($4,700) and silver (approaching $100) blamed on:

  • Japanese bond market turbulence,
  • Uncertainty over U.S. fiscal stability,
  • Global rush to alternatives as U.S. Treasury bonds lose their "safe-haven" status ([11:33], [13:31]).

• Central banks, especially in BRICS and emerging "middle powers," are rapidly diversifying away from the dollar ([13:31], [17:51]).

• Philip Patrick:

  "Foreign investors, central governments have realized something crucial. When the dollar's weaponized, they're holding the other end of that weapon." [17:51]

• Ursula von der Leyen (not directly quoted but referenced repeatedly) is cited as echoing these themes during Davos, suggesting EU would seek reserve status alternatives.

4. The Somber Shift at Davos: From DEI to Geopolitical Realism

• Nor Bin Laden and Bannon note a distinctly grave tenor at Davos 2026:
  • Elites are less focused on progressive slogans (DEI, ESG) and more on the crumbling foundations of globalization:

    "There's a much more serious tone to Davos this year...between the AI, the energy needs for AI...the postwar international rules-based order, what President Trump's doing, the rise in nationalism...globalists understand this thing's coming apart…" — Stephen K. Bannon [26:06]

  • Nor Bin Laden provides context on the rolling out of digital currencies (European digital euro, 2027), the efforts to prepare elites for a cashless, more tightly surveilled future ([23:27], [27:08]).

5. China's Influence, "Trusted Partners," and Canada

• Natalie Winters highlights a concerning trend:
  • Mark Carney and Canadian policy elites openly refer to the Chinese Communist Party as a "trusted partner" ([34:33]).
  • This is framed as reflecting ideological and financial compromise with the CCP, and an embrace of autocratic models for managing political dissent and industrial policy:

    "They hate the United States, or at least what the United States stands for now, which is secure borders, national sovereignty..." — Natalie Winters [34:49]

  • Canada’s pivot is tied directly to access to rare earths, critical minerals, and its vulnerability as a U.S. trading partner.

6. Color Revolution Tactics, "3.5% Rule," and Escalation of Domestic Protest

• Natalie Winters discusses rising protest activity and the “3.5% rule,” which holds that sustained nonviolent protest by just 3.5% of a population can topple regimes ([38:55]):

  “If you can just get 3.5% of the population in any country to basically turn on the ruling elites, that you'll have a revolution on your hands.” — Natalie Winters [41:30]

• Clips/playback from political scientists Stephen Levitsky and Erica Chenoweth, analysts of revolutions, make clear that current protest strategies are not about debate but about demonstrating political, financial, and electoral costs, sometimes accepting (or even encouraging) escalation into violence:

  "I don't think that there's an intervention that will have the MAGA regime see the error of its ways. I do think there are interventions that demonstrate the political, electoral and financial cost of authoritarianism..." — Quoting the executive director of the Women's March, as read by Winters [43:06]

7. Minnesota Somali Community, Political Donations & Alleged Corruption

• Winters draws a direct line from the importation of Somali communities to alleged campaign finance abuses in Minnesota, linking ACT Blue donations to local political patronage, kickbacks, and activism:

  "This is weird. Money laundering. This is weird. Kickbacks to buy votes. And how do you know it? You can tell from the mass mobilization that you're seeing in the streets..." — Natalie Winters [47:43]

• Bannon and Winters both warn this is a national, bipartisan problem that spreads into "red states" via similar mechanisms ([50:04]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mark Carney (Davos Speech; read by Carney and referenced throughout):

  "We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition..." [04:26]
  "A country that can't feed itself, fuel itself or defend itself has few options. When the rules no longer protect you, you must protect yourself." [06:53]

• Philip Patrick (on gold):

  "What we're seeing internationally now: trust is breaking down and gold is coming back to the fore as the currency for international trade because it doesn't require trust. And we're in a climate with very little trust." [11:33]

• Stephen K. Bannon (on the stakes):

  “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...but you're not going to stop it. It's going to happen.” [09:17]

• Natalie Winters (color revolution):

  "They are just trying to use violence. And we saw that with Charlie Kirk... they're trying to create these mass protests to be as inviting as they can from a psychological perspective so more Americans will get involved..." [39:48], [41:30]

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 – 02:42 | DOJ expands probe into Minnesota officials and Somali political donations | | 04:26 – 07:44 | Mark Carney's Davos speech, “rupture” of rules-based order | | 11:33 – 14:03 | Gold and silver surge; U.S. dollar losing “safe haven” status | | 17:51 – 19:14 | Risks of dollar “weaponization”; central banks moving to diversify | | 21:47 – 23:27 | Nor Bin Laden: Tone of Davos, digital currencies, Carney’s significance | | 26:06 – 27:08 | Somber mood at Davos; globalists admit order’s unraveling | | 34:33 – 37:10 | Winters on CCP influence, Canada, rare earths, and political alignments | | 38:55 – 41:30 | “3.5% rule” and protest strategy explained | | 47:43 – 50:04 | Winters on Minnesota, ACT Blue, Somali donations, and national implications|

Conclusion: Episode Tone & Looking Forward

This episode is marked by a deep sense of urgency and vindication from the War Room team. The hosts repeatedly underscore that their long-held predictions about global financial upheaval, sovereignty, and elite collusion are manifesting in real time. The collapse of confidence in the international order, the flight to gold and silver, the empowerment of central banks over national currencies, and the weaponization of migration and charity networks are all seen as converging threats to American sovereignty and stability.

Looking Ahead:

• The team eagerly anticipates President Trump’s upcoming remarks at Davos, expecting him to challenge the globalist narrative head-on.
• The show will further track both geopolitical and domestic flashpoints, especially as the Minnesota story develops and as the implications for U.S.-China-Canada relations and 2026 election season unfold.

Findings in Brief:

• Globalization and the postwar order are openly in crisis among elite circles.
• U.S. dollar hegemony is at serious risk, with world powers and even allies preparing alternatives.
• Domestic unrest is being strategized—not just happening spontaneously—by activist-intellectual networks.
• America's political class (both parties) is deeply implicated in trends fueling the current instability.

To follow War Room:

• warroom.org
• Twitter: @WarRoom
• Nor Bin Laden: @norbinladen
• Natalie Winters: nataliegwinters.substack.com