Bannon’s War Room – Episode 5252: CPAC Day 2 Cont.

Date: March 27, 2026
Host: Stephen K. Bannon, Eric Trump (guest host portions)
Location: CPAC 2026

Overview

This episode covers ongoing Middle East tensions, particularly the U.S. and Israel’s military operations against Iran, debates on foreign intervention and military strategy, and the broader conservative grassroots perspective from CPAC 2026. The show features in-depth panel and audience discussions, Trump administration perspectives, and a keynote speech by former President Donald Trump himself. The tone is combative, urgent, and unapologetically pro-Trump and pro-MAGA, with participants fiercely debating the future of U.S. foreign policy and America’s role on the global stage.

Table of Contents

1. Middle East Crisis: The Situation in Iran
2. Panel & Audience Debate: Boots on the Ground vs. Bombing
3. The Role of the Iranian People & America's Purpose
4. CPAC Grassroots: Oregon, Elections, and Political Mobilization
5. Donald Trump’s Keynote Address: Operation Epic Fury
6. Debate on Victory, Regime Change & American Stamina
7. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Middle East Crisis: The Situation in Iran

• Escalation in the Gulf: Iran blocks the Strait of Hormuz; the U.S. considers deploying up to 10,000 more troops near Iran for “optional” military responses.

  • News Anchor [00:00]: “Mixed messages from the Trump administration as the war rages on. Why would he send them if he did not plan to use them?”

• Military Options: Troop increases are seen as a gesture for credibility, not full-scale invasion.

  • Military Analyst [01:03]: “It's not a force that's going to invade Iran… It does increase the options the administration has, but they're not very good options.”
  • Asymmetrical warfare: Iran fights through cyberattacks and by controlling strategic sea lanes, making direct military solutions difficult.

• U.S. Position/Peace Negotiations: Secretary Marco Rubio claims a 15-point peace proposal is on the table, but troop deployments suggest readiness for escalation.

  • Reporter [01:51]: “Secretary… Rubio says Iranian military capabilities can be destroyed without putting any American troops on the ground.”

• Official Stance: The government wants “maximum optionality,” insisting objectives can be achieved without troops, yet remaining prepared for escalation.

  • Government Official [02:19]: “We can achieve all of our objectives… without any ground troops… but we are always going to be prepared…”

Panel & Audience Debate: Boots on the Ground vs. Bombing

Discussion Leaders:

• Eric Trump (host)
• Maureen Bannon, Ben Berkman, Lauren Feist (veteran), Iranian-American commentators, various panelists

Key Points:

• End Goals Are Shifting:

  • Lauren Feist [05:13]: “Regime change, denuclearization, maybe de-weaponization. And then, you know, it looks like Israel and America have a little bit different goals.”

• Difficulty of Regime Change:

  • Eric Trump [05:48]: “Can we eradicate the mullah system, the IRGC, without boots on the ground?”
  • Lauren Feist [05:55]: “I don't think so.”
  • Panelists agree that similar interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to achieve lasting regime change without prolonged commitment.

• American Appetite for War:

  • Ben Berkman [09:53]: “Does America even have the stomach for it? We lost Vietnam, not because we couldn't win... but because we lost the heart to fight it. Now we're two weeks into this thing, and people are already like, I don’t have the stomach for this.”

Audience Poll:

• Two options presented:

  1. Full Ground Invasion for Regime Change – little audience support for sending American children to war.
  2. Sustained Bombing to Force Negotiations and Oil Deals – more pragmatic support, less appetite for another “forever war”.
  • Eric Trump [10:13]: “Who's in favor of the first option? ... Who's in favor of [the] plan [where] we bomb the hell out of them ... and do a deal?”

Audience Reaction:

• Some Iranian-American participants insist on the necessity of toppling the regime, even at high cost.
• Most American panelists and audience members reluctant to favor sending Americans to fight; some suggest arming local forces or coalition partners.

The Role of the Iranian People & America's Purpose

Focus:

• Can/should the U.S. rely on the Iranian people to rise up?
• Is America the world’s policeman, or should regional allies take the lead?

Discussion:

• Iranian-American Supporter [20:49]:
  “There’s 90 more million [Iranians] to come out on the streets…they are waiting for the CENTCOM general to tell them…Stay in your homes now, but we will signal you to come out…We are ready and willing…”

• Eric Trump [22:05]:
  “Get out of your homes. Get out there and help us. Oh, my God. Sit back and wait for the United States? Are we the policemen for the whole freaking world? … They need to get out of their homes. … I’ll have air support.”

Skepticism:

• Lauren Feist [23:25]: “I don’t believe… they’re outgunned. The Iranian people... are outgunned by the Iranian military... I have no love for the Islamic regime, but … I don’t want to enter into another forever war.”

• Role of Regional Allies:
  Calls for Arab militaries and Israel to pitch in on the ground, keeping American intervention primarily limited to airpower and logistics.

• Spiritual & Moral Framing:
  A religious speaker invokes biblical imagery, suggesting this is not just a physical war but “a war in the heavenlies.”

  • Religious Speaker [25:13]: “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are mighty through God…”

CPAC Grassroots: Oregon, Elections, and Political Mobilization

• Protests & Violence at Conservative Events:

  • Maureen Bannon [16:35]: “Antifa outside wanted to burn and bomb the building because a Bannon was speaking… It’s time for a Democrat to be out of office and a Republican to be in office in Oregon.”

• Republican Organizing in Oregon:

  • Urges voters to switch to the GOP to influence the May primaries.
  • Political Organizer [17:48]: “We’re just trying to get people over to the Republican Party so they can help us choose our candidate going into November.”

• Audience Feedback:
  Audience members voice concerns about ensuring Iranian popular support for intervention rather than supporting another dictator.

Donald Trump’s Keynote Address: Operation Epic Fury

Segment Begins: ~[33:14]

Themes:

• Military Success:
  Trump describes massive, high-tech devastation wrought on Iran’s nuclear facilities (“Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”).

  • Donald Trump [33:59]: “We decimated Iran’s capabilities with Operation Epic Fury… We have weapons that nobody’s ever seen before…”
  • [34:28]: “Last June, America’s armed forces obliterated Iran’s key nuclear facilities…”

• Critique of Past Deals:
  Trump denounces the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and flaunts his own termination of it.

  • [34:44]: “Barack Hussein Obama… paid him… sent two 757 Boeing 757 jetliners… 1.7 billion of cash.”

• Showcasing Military Power:
  Trump paints the strikes as flawless, technologically superior, and overwhelming.

  • [43:14]: “We’re crushing Iran’s weapons stockpiles, destroying their missiles and drone factories… Iran’s navy is gone.”

• Allies & Betrayals:

  • Praises Middle Eastern partners (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Turkey, Indonesia)
  • Expresses disappointment in NATO and certain European allies.
  • [44:29]: “NATO’s a paper tiger… They were not there.”

• Missile Defense “Miracle”:

  • [48:18]: “101 missiles shot at a very valuable thing... and out of the 101 missiles shot, 101 missiles were shot down and spread out all over the sea. ... That’s called incredible technology…”

• Outcomes & Vision:

  • Declares Iran’s military “annihilated”, with all top leadership “dead or in very bad shape.”
  • Calls for Abraham Accords expansion and greater Middle Eastern cooperation.

Debate on Victory, Regime Change & American Stamina

• What Is Victory?

  • Ben Berkman [27:16]: “Okay, so this is the question. What is victory?”
  • Page Kill [27:19]: “Victory is the complete defeat and destruction of the Islamic regime in Iran. And letting people pick their next leader…”

• Strategy Options:

  • American boots on the ground vs. supporting local proxy/militia forces.

• Divisions in MAGA Movement:

  • Eric Trump [26:41]: “MAGA is... divided by original MAGA and new MAGA now. I’ve never seen Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson fighting with Mark Levin and Ben Shapiro. Is this about Israel? … What’s it about, Ben?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Iran & Forever Wars

• “This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies. Because we’re going medieval on these people.” — Advertiser/Promoter [02:56]

• “Can we eradicate the mullah system, the IRGC, without boots on the ground? Is that possible?” — Eric Trump [05:48]

• “I don’t think so.” — Lauren Feist [05:55]

On American Stamina

• “We lost Vietnam, not because we couldn’t win... but because we lost the heart to fight it.”
  — Ben Berkman [09:53]

On the Policy Debate

• "So you ask the question, when do you negotiate with terrorists? And do you ever trust them when you do? ... This is a fight that we have to fight."
  — Ben Berkman [07:00]

• “This is not only a war in the natural, it’s a war in the heavenlies... We need to fight in the spirit realm first.”
  — Religious Speaker [25:25]

Trump on Military Operations

• “Operation Epic Fury, something that nobody’s ever seen anything quite like it. ... We have the most powerful military in the world by far. I built it in my first term.”
  — Donald Trump [33:59]

• “Their supreme leader is no longer supreme.”
  — Bannon/Military Expert Exchange [44:12]

• “NATO’s a paper tiger… if the big one ever happened, I guarantee you they wouldn’t be there.”
  — Trump/Panel [46:20]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–03:00: Breaking news on Iranian crisis, US military deployments
• 05:13–06:39: Panelist analysis: end goals, lessons from Afghanistan/Iraq
• 09:53–11:22: Audience debate: American appetite for war, poll on options
• 16:35–18:26: Grassroots organizing, Oregon politics
• 19:19–25:30: The Iranian people’s role, audience/American vs. Iranian perspectives
• 27:16–27:49: Defining victory, regime change debate
• 33:14–57:45: Donald Trump’s keynote address: military boasting, narrative, vision
• 48:18–49:47: Trump describes intercepting 101 Iranian missiles
• 56:20–57:45: Trump: Vision for Middle East, disappointment with Democrats and NATO

Conclusion

This CPAC 2026 episode of War Room illustrates the deep divisions and passionate convictions among the right regarding intervention in Iran. While Trump and his supporters tout decisive, overwhelming military action against Iran, the panel and audience expose anxieties about endless Middle Eastern wars, the burden on American families, and the viability of regime change. The recurring MAGA split—over foreign policy, over Israel, over the future of conservatism—reflects a movement questioning whether “America First” means “America alone.”

Amid raucous patriotism, biblical metaphors, and a persistent call for victory, the War Room ultimately echoes a vexing question for its audience—and perhaps the country: What is America’s purpose, and how far are we willing to go to serve it?