
Episode 5443: Fighting Back To Save This Christian Nation...
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Steve Bannon
This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies because we're going medieval on these people. You're just not going to free shot all these networks lying about the people, the people have had a belly full of it.
Eric Metaxas
I know you don't like hearing that.
Steve Bannon
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. And where do people like that go to share the big lie?
Joe Allen
MAGA MEDIA I wish in my soul,
Steve Bannon
I wish that any of these people had a conscience. Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my
Eric Metaxas
country, this country will be saved.
Joe Allen
War ROOM here's your host, Stephen K. Ban.
Steve Bannon
Okay, Saturday the 13th of June, year of Lord 2026. I can report that the tow truck has showed up for Ben Berkhwe on the border down there in Big Bend, Texas. We'll go back to Ben in a moment as he tries, we try to get him, extract him from his current level dilemma. Eric Metaxas. Eric, we left you last night. You're in Idaho Falls for a book signing. How did it go? Sir?
Eric Metaxas
I got to laugh. I have to laugh, Steve. There's just joy and delight. It went spectacularly. Okay, I'm in Idaho Falls by the Snake river and, and somebody comes up to me in line, older guy with a huge beard, and he says, I saw you on Bannon, and I drove four hours across the state from Boise east to Idaho Falls to meet you. And I'm just looking at this guy like. You drove four hours? You know, listen, first of all, I'm so honored. I'm honored that God would allow me to, to do what I do to write a book like this. Cuz this is for God's purposes in history. But I see things happening now. And Steve, you know, a lot of times people, you know, you got this a lot in the French Revolution or in the Bolshevik Revolution, right? They have this utopianist language. They act like we're entering a new age and they kind of kill that idea for most of us. Like, oh, we're never gonna enter a new age. There's never gonna be anything spectacular. But there are moments in history that are, you have to mark them, they're different. I actually believe we're living in one of those moments right now for, for a couple of reasons. First of all, I would say that sometimes you suddenly, you see the math and you look at it and you go, you know, we've never seen this before. We've never seen this before. I mean, for example, for Elon Musk to suddenly be worth a trillion dollars, everything, you just want to stop everything and go, what? Like this is a. I don't need to get into that. But I'm saying there's certain times that you just say something new is happening. We're breaking through into another realm that is really neither here nor there. It's just an example. But as I wrote this book, Revolution, it occurred to me that what I am seeing here, which I've talked about on this program, is that in the story of the birth of America, I am seeing clearly. If you solve for X in the algebra equation, without God, you can't do this, okay? Without God you can't do this. So stick with me here. What I'm trying to say is, I think now, right now, not just through this book, but in America, there is a real God moment. People are recognizing that without the God of the Bible, you cannot have America. You cannot have American liberty. We can no longer pretend. We can no longer pretend that we can have this.
Ben Bergquam
We.
Eric Metaxas
Without God, he's at the center of it. It's because people dedicated to him were willing to suffer and die 250 years ago. I mean, it's what I write about all through the book. But in the course of writing the book, it just hit me that I never really understood clearly that without God this can't happen. You cannot have America without God. And we've got a lot of people on the left, the secularist, they hate that idea. And for the last hundred years, this, they've been pushing away from that idea. They keep talking about the French Enlightenment and these guys are deists. And in the course of writing this book, I realized again, it's not like it was my goal in writing the book, but you just realize that is a lie. That is completely untrue. And we have to acknowledge God. You don't have to like it, but you have to acknowledge that without God and without the men in the revolution knowing consciously and explicitly saying what we're doing is a God thing, we're declaring independence from the earthly king, King George, and we are declaring dependence on the King of kings. Jesus is the king. I mean, the fact that we have lived for our lifetimes with all of the intellectual establishment just blowing that off, like that's just a silly old fashioned idea. And in the writing of this book, and I think in this 250th year, and I think just generally in American culture, you can see it everywhere. God is making himself known. And I said the same thing. I was on your program a couple years ago talking about my book Is Atheism Dead? That science is pointing to God in a way that scientists, if they dare to look at it, which many of them don't want to. But it's embarrassing because you get to a moment where God makes it impossible for you to deny him unless you really decide, I hate God. He's not letting you play the game. Like, I don't know if he exists. You know he exists. The facts are there. You see it in American liberty, in this story. Without God, you can't have America. You see it in science. You see it everywhere. So I think we're in kind of a unique moment. So I don't mean to use this utopianist language unless it's actually true, but there are moments in history where God breaks through. 1776 was one of those moments. And I think we're in one of those moments right now. I keep saying we're in the third existential crisis of our history. The first is the Revolution, Second, Civil War. I think we're in the third right now. So forgive me for the long winded, semi crazy rant, but I actually think that we are in a moment right now in America, in the world that is unique. We've never really been here before where the leftists and the secularists, they're kind of being forced to see something and they hate it. And our prayer would be that some of them would come to terms with it and say, you know what? Maybe I didn't like it, but it's true. Maybe I'll open my heart to accept the God of the Bible.
Steve Bannon
The one of the powers of the book, and this is why I recommend it so much, is that the way you break it down, the 4th of July, the actual signing and promulgation of the Declaration of Independence, is about halfway through the book. Okay, you do all the. What led up to it. And one of the things in reading it, you can relate to this moment in time because it feels, as we say, in these turnings. You say it's three, I've got four. But, you know, it's the revolution, the Civil War. In this one, I would actually throw in the Great depression, World War II, every 80 or 100 years. But we're definitely in a turning. One of the things about these turnings is that history speeds up. Things accelerate, and then they start accelerating at an accelerating rate until you come to some sort of at least initial climax, et cetera. The Power, one of the powers of your book. You can just see this thing starts to build, it starts to go right. And people are inspired to do this. And too much of how we celebrate today, and I think the left has wanted to do this. Is that the declaration of independence, 4th of July's birthday, and these young kids, they think, oh, they declared independence and we were independent. No, that would be incorrect. You had a seven or eight year war of which you take over 300 pages to walk through. You had to win that. You had, you had a revolution, then you had a war of independence, then you had nation building, that war of independence. The spirit flowing through these people, the sacrifices they made in the first 90 days, starting, you know, right after July 4th, mid July, to, you know, till, till we retreated to Delaware, I guess at the end of the year. But those 100 days, it was all in the mix. And we came so close, this close from losing it all, from losing it all. And it was only, we should have lost, but to talk about that, because that's the spirit, that's the spirit going through people that said, I will give my life for something. That was just kind of a concept at the time, sir. Yes, yes.
Eric Metaxas
Well, this is what's amazing to me. And again, this book, as you know, because you read it, this is a gallop through our history, if you want to read history. And the end part about Benedict Arnold, the second half of the book, I mean, the. One of the most amazing stories, I said, I got to put it in the book. People are going to, it's going to blow minds, really, the story of Benedict Arnold. But at the heart of it is this algebraic equation. X equals God. You take God out, the whole thing falls apart. There is no America. This is undeniable. And again, that's not what the book is about. You can give this book to anybody in America, anybody who doesn't hate America, I think will enjoy this book and will just enjoy learning about, about who these people are and the stories and think, oh, yeah, I heard that, we need to know it. But at the heart of it is this idea that they all knew back then and that we have forgotten that without God you cannot have any of this stuff. And the people in the French Revolution, they thought they could have all this without God. We know they kill the king and the queen and then they start killing the priests and the nuns. They end up in a bloodbath. They end up trading a king for a dictator Emperor. Without God, it doesn't work. The Bolsheviks, the Marxists, hate God. They push him out. What do they get in their so called revolutions? This is the only revolution ever in the history of the world where this biblical idea comes in and God comes in and enables people to govern themselves. Every American needs to know what we have is unique. It is utterly unique. You need to appreciate it all the more. It's not just better, it is unlike any nation that's ever existed. And that's why, as you say, we've got to sacrifice, be willing to sacrifice everything, because this is God's idea in history. There are millions of unborn people looking to us today. Will we sacrifice what the people sacrificed in 1776? We'll be the good guys or the bad guys? Will we sit on the fence like many people did during this war? Many people sat on the fence, said, well, let's see which way the wind blows. I don't want to, you know, I don't want to stick my neck out. That's all through history. And you know that these were heroes. So we need to know their stories and we need to know that they knew. Washington knew. Without God, we fail. We don't have, we don't have the cards, right? We don't have the cards. God has the cards. If he wants to play his cards, we win. We side with God. That's completely different. The British thought we got the cards. We got the most powerful navy, powerful army. We, we will crush you like the bugs that you are. And guess what? Apart from God, they would have done that, but God intervened and all of these revolutionaries knew that we have to look to God. They had days of fasting and prayer and this is our history. This is not Christian history. This is American history. And Christian faith is at the heart of it. And listen, we simply, if you want to be honest, you have to acknowledge it and you have to come to terms with it.
Steve Bannon
The the subtitle the Birth. The title is Revolution. The birth of the greatest nation in the history of the world. And what I love even below that is a new accounting by Eric Metaxas. A new accounting. Eric, where are you going to be? People blow my phone up all the time. They want to go to a book signing. They want to meet you in person. They want to ask you questions about the book. They also want to share how much it's meant to them. Just where do we go? I want the next. And by the way, I want another Idaho Falls. I want people driving and go see Eric. It's worth it. It's worth the trip. Where do they go?
Eric Metaxas
I'm Going to be all over this country. My bags are packed. The minute I close this computer, I'm going to the airport, Idaho Falls, to fly to Denver on my way to Southern California. I'm speaking tomorrow at Harvest Church, I think four times. I'm speaking at Harvest Church, Southern California, Orange county, you know, go to. Go to Harvest Church. I will be, you know, whatever, signing hundreds and hundreds of books. I will be delighted to. People don't know how delighted I am to meet them.
Ben Bergquam
So.
Eric Metaxas
So if you can get there tomorrow, it's all day long. So you know anybody after that, where do I go next? I go home for five minutes to New York, and then I'm gonna be headed back out to Washington State. There's a huge men's event in Washington State. Amazing, right in the middle. It's called Freedom Con, FreedomCon 2026. Huge Christian men's event. After that, I'm going to London for the art conference. I'm coming back. I'm going to Houston, and all through this summer, everywhere around this country. So if you just go to my website, ericmetaxis.com, you can see where I'm going to be. And we're adding dates. You know, I'll be in D.C. for the Fourth. I'm speaking at a church July 5, right outside Washington, D.C. doing two or three services. On July 3, I'll be at the Museum of the Bible. But I'm going to be everywhere that I can be by God's grace. God has to give me health and energy in the midst of this. But listen, I acknowledge this season in my life. This is a blessing from God. Nobody deserves blessing. It's a free gift from God. And I said this yesterday. Everybody needs to understand God loves you. He has a plan for your life, but he's not going to force you. So open your hearts to God. That's really the story of how this country came into being. And again, I'm not going to pretend like I knew it. When I did the research on this book and it really became so clear to me, I said, I've got to scream this everywhere I go, because it's big news. It's big news for every American. You cannot have America. Everything you love about America, you cannot have it without the God of the Bible. That's factual. And at the heart of that is religious liberty. We do not force people to be Christians or to believe. But if you want to know the facts, those are the facts, and they're beautiful. And, you know, we get to live that.
Steve Bannon
It's ericmataxas.com of course we go to Amazon. Etc. The book's on you. Just go order the book today. It'll get to you, get to you quickly. It's Eric metaxas.com Is that where they go? Yes.
Eric Metaxas
Ericmataxas.com okay, get to the airport.
Steve Bannon
You got your travels. You gotta get to Southern California, the harvest church, all day tomorrow. See Metaxas. Thank you, brother. Appreciate you.
Eric Metaxas
God bless you.
Steve Bannon
Thank you. This book you will see human agency, your agency. You're the heirs, you're the direct heirs of the revolution that started the greatest nation on earth, the birth of the greatest nation on earth. You and your task and purpose is to bequeath it in all its glory to future generations. Short commercial break. Most Americans are forced to spend too much money on health care and getting too little in return. If you're one of the millions frustrated by traditional health insurance, I want to tell you about America's Health Share. Go to Freedom for all health. That's freedomforallhealth.org Bannon now that's a mouthful. Freedomforhealth.org that's freedom for Health. And discover why tens of thousands of patriots are joining America's Health Share. America's Health Share reduces your healthcare cost by an average of 60% and it's accepted everywhere. In other words, say goodbye to out of network limitations. They make healthcare affordable, transparent and aligned with your values. Free from surprise bills or skyrocketing premiums. For as low as 68 bucks a month, an individual can get great health care coverage minus the complications and price gouging from health care providers. You can completely scrap your current insurance or use America's Healthcare to supplement your existing policy, even with Medicare. Simply go to freedomforhealth.org that's freedomforhealth.org Bannon to learn more. Right now, new members get their first month free with promo code Bannon. It's time to make America healthy. Join the community of patriots taking back control of their healthcare. That's freedomforhealth.org Bannon freedomforhealth.org Bannon promo code Bannon. Make sure you go check it out. Immerse yourself in the details of America's Health Share. You will not regret it.
Joe Allen
War Room here's your host, Stephen K. Bannon.
Steve Bannon
Okay, I want to thank our sponsor, Birch Gold. They got a special. It's July 10th. It runs out. Let me say that you get a you get a free 1oz round. It ain't a coin, it's a round. That's free. They toss it in with a qualifying purchase. Talk to Philip maybe the simplest way to do it is ban in Texas at 989-898 and you talk to Philip, Patrick and the team and more than ever. That's why I want you to read the the the the end of the dollar empire. You just had the largest public offering in history and the Stock went up 19%, which is kind of the what you try to do when you do an ipo price a little tight. So it goes we will be breaking that down in the days and weeks ahead about what that means and what it means on your other and we don't give financial advice here. What we do do is put you in touch with people that can walk you through it. And that's why I think people have had such a great run with Gold and with Philip Patron team to kind of explain it all. Ben Berkwam, they're getting the tow truck set up. We'll go back to him in a moment. Joe Allen, you join me. And Joe, we just had my taxes on we're having my taxes on every couple of days with Revolution because it's had a big cultural impact. Number two in the New York Times bestseller list, but it's number one on Publishers Weekly. Number one in Baltimore Sun. A number one on I haven't checked the Wall Street Journal. We checked that the Wall Street Journal list. I haven't checked it, but it's number one on Amazon. So this is the book has been and you know, in the book publishing business, Joe, how, how tough it is, it's really broken through and it's even picking up velocity. Metaxas is going around. Metaxas is going around and as he goes around he's having these, he's having these book events and and he's getting feedback from the war on posse from the arts. I got it last night. I want to give a hat tip to one of the posse members in Boise that drove hours and hours and hours to see Eric in in Idaho Falls. You also, Joe, as you we put you on the road not just for Dark am, but you really now spend a lot of time on the road kind of going and talking and spreading the message, but also listening to people about artificial intelligence. And and I tell people it's really more than artificial intelligence. AI is one aspect of it. So it's really the singularity, the point in time that we're hurtling towards and the convergence of all these forces. Right. Whether it's regenerative robotics or quantum computing Advanced chip design, crispr, everything with biotech that quite frankly, we're not doing a good enough job on. We got to get better. But so he's seeing people that are, are coming back and thinking through the revolutionary generation and particularly with the aspect of faith in the aspect of, you know, the great awakening that took place before the, before the revolutionary generation. And they're relating it to their lives today as they watch the war room or they watch what's going on. These are dedicated patriots, you. And one of the reasons I was so excited about, you know, bringing you on board the war room, what five or six years ago, was your background at one of the best, I guess, divinity schools. We have Boston University where you got a degree, Dr. Martin Luther King. King got his degrees there. Also many other prominent ministers and theologians. And also you're just your understanding of workingclass people since you were a rigor at the time. So as you go around the country and you had an event yesterday and see this, what, what is the feedback you're hearing? Because we got on one hand the revolution and we are in revolutionary times today. On the other hand, we have a technological, societal, civilizational revolution going on. And you really are at the deck plates, not just thinking about it in a high, you know, a high mind, high value added way, but you're actually going out and seeing the people respond to this in real time. So what is, what is your report from that battlefield from, from, from that Western front? Sir,
Joe Allen
the first thing I need to say is that people are not beaten down. I really anticipated at this point that people would have thrown their hands up and said, you know, fine, this techn revolution is underway. It's inevitable. There's nothing you can do about it. You know, either you join or you die. Assimilate or disappear. That's not the attitude at all of people, and especially young people. A lot of times I think people assume that young people will just simply go along with whatever fad is handed to them. But in the case of AI and even social media, to some extent, the younger people, zoomers, you know, people that are in their late teens or early twenties, they are either fed up with it, some of them are terrified by it, but they aren't simply swallowing these pills just because they're told this is the future. So I think that's the first thing. People are not simply bending over and taking it. They're not bowing down. On the other hand, you do have, I think, really legitimate concerns about where all of this goes technologically, socially, spiritually, what happens when you do have a significant number of kids who are raised by artificial intelligence, you know what happens when doctors rely on it for everything, soldiers rely on it for everything. What happens when one of these systems goes rogue, goes out of control? So there are also, there's those two elements I think, Steve, that are the most important. Number one, people are not giving up. And however flawed the Trump administration's efforts are, in this early phase of regulating it, I think it's really important to note that that sends a signal to people that it's not simply done. It's not simply inevitable. It's not a situation which nobody's going to do anything about it. So there's really an energy there. And that energy is built off of very, very legitimate concerns. And it's not people just being scared. They're not, it's not fear mongering that has done this. They have very legitimate concerns that are mostly concerns that were brought to their attention by people like Elon Musk, Dario Amade, Sam Altman saying what they want to see these technologies do. So, yeah, I think the, the spirit is alive out here in, in flyover country.
Steve Bannon
Look, if you read the book Revolution and you see how we, you know, comport ourselves on the, on the War Room and the War Room Posse, particularly in the journey we've taken politically with people in the MAGA and America first movement and Trump supporters over the last, I guess last decade, since the show started in 19, but even before that. The word is resilience. We would have not won the revolution if you didn't have resilience. That's why I keep saying if you don't quit, you'll eventually win. When they say don't quit, that word means resilience. They can knock you down a lot because we've had, we've had some pretty big defeats here. The stealing of the 2020 election, President Trump going into exile in January 2021, and many more. And we're going to have defeats in the future. It's not a perfect world. We're going to have defeats. The key is we don't quit. We're resilient. We turn it around. Is that your report is that people are not overwhelmed by the scale of this thing. They're not overwhelmed by the, by the inflection point. And really in history, that this, that this technology and the other, more importantly, the convergence of all these technologies onto the singularity, this whole concept of transhumanism. Because, remember, we talk about artificial intelligence. It's not simply about artificial intelligence. It's this convergence to this point, the singularity, where you will have Homo SAPIEN, you know, 1.5 or 2.0, that line of demarcation, and that is what the transhumanists are trying to drive us to, to a post Homo sapien, Homo sapien environment. Do you find today that people are not overwhelmed by that, that they feel that they can fight back through this, or at least fight through it and keep their human, keep their humanity, and pass that humanity and that civilization down to future generations? Sir?
Joe Allen
Well, Steve, it's been really amazing five years now of basically swimming in these waters, these poisoned waters constantly. And in those early days, it wasn't as if, you know, you and I discovered transhumanism. There are many, many authors and people talking about it, but it was all still very fringe. All the authors who were speaking about this, they weren't necessarily getting a lot of airtime. You know, in general, people thought it just sounded crazy. After really the release of ChatGPT, people became conscious of the possibilities of artificial intelligence. And even if then it was very clunky, it couldn't really put together, you know, full paragraphs, it couldn't do math, it couldn't do all these things. People saw that there was something really unique happening with that one bot. And then since then, I mean, it's been less than four years or just over. Yeah, less than four years since that release, and the capabilities have exploded. So along with that, and along with the adoption and the impact on people's lives, the consciousness of it has exploded. And the Catholic event that I attended two days ago, it was a small private event held in association with the Future of Life Institute. But you had professors, priests, a bishop addressed the group. You had lay scholars, lay people, just regular Catholic people. You had AI policy advocates, all these people. In discussing this, it really dawned on me, Steve, how normal the topic of transhumanism is now and artificial intelligence is now. It's as normal as talking about environmental concerns or pollution. It's as normal as talking about car safety concerns. It's not exotic anymore. And so I think that on the one hand, you risk complacency because people think, okay, well, this is just now part of our lives. But that's not what I saw in this group of Catholics, and that's not what I'm seeing in general. I think that the rising consciousness means that instead of people just simply becoming aware of this new, strange technology, people, as it becomes normal in their minds, they can really think through the implications of it. They're not freaking out. Their hair is not on fire. But again, I'm not seeing a whole lot of people who are super excited about it. And even among those people, people who would probably self identify as transhumanists, they are very concerned about the dangers. So yeah, I think that this rising consciousness believe it is a wave that is not going to stop. And all we can do is keep pushing and turning those waters.
Steve Bannon
Amen.
Joe Allen
We're going to do it.
Steve Bannon
You see a steely determination with a lot of people. Joe, just hang on for one second. We're gonna get right back to you. I want to thank our sponsors at birchcold. They always sponsor our Saturday morning show also America Health Share. I'll give you the promo code to go check it out. But if insurance we understand times are tough and it's hard to make ends meet. Insurance, medical insurance has gotten off the track. There's a way some of these religious groups and some people pulled together to have a whole different concept of how to think about it. America Health Share is one of those. I'm going to give you how you go check it out. It's going to take some due diligence on your part. You're going to need to learn about it. Short break. Most Americans are forced to spend too much money on health care and getting too little in return. If you're one of the millions frustrated by traditional health health insurance, I want to tell you about America's Health Share. Go to Freedom for all health. That's freedomforallhealth.org Bannon now that's a mouthful. Freedomforhealth.org that's freedomforhealth.org Bannon and discover why tens of thousands of patriots are joining America's Health Share. America's Health Share reduces your healthcare cost by an average of 60% and it's accepted everywhere. In other words, say goodbye to out of network limitations. They make healthcare affordable, transparent and aligned with your values. Free from surprise bills or skyrocketing premiums. For as low as 68 bucks a month, an individual can get great health care coverage minus the complications and price gouging from healthcare providers. You can completely scrap your current insurance or use America's health care to supplement your existing policy, even with Medicare. Simply go to freedom for health.org that's freedom for health.org Bannon to learn more. Right now, new members get their first month free with promo code Bannon. It's time to make America Healthy. Join the community of patriots taking back control of their health care. That's freedomforhealth.org Bannon freedomforhealth.org Bannon promo code Bannon. Make sure you go check it out. Immerse yourself in the details of America's Health Share. You will not regret it.
Joe Allen
War room here's your host, Stephen K. Bann.
Steve Bannon
I'm going to get you that site to go to. I'll get that organized here in a minute. Oh, there it is right there. America Health Share. Go to Freedom for health. That's freedomforhealth.org Bannon. You get a free month. You get the first month free, but more importantly, due diligence. Talk to the chief medical officer. This is a totally different concept, but it will slash your health insurance pretty dramatically. But go check it out today. America Health Share at freedom for health.org Bannon check it out. Joe Allen Yesterday during the afternoon and evening shows, a pretty dramatic thing happened at the White House. They actually, they actually stepped forward and, and put the clamp down on Anthropic and these new models and said you can't, no foreigners can get to them. You can't do it. Overseas. They really did a hard lockdown. Now a lot of people, you know, it's blown up on. It's one of the biggest stories out there, folks. I keep telling you these stories about artificial intelligence and everything related to Singularity are what DC is working on non stop. And you saw a manifestation when it comes public, and that's Elon Musk, the IPO for SpaceX that months and months and months of behind the scenes and NASA and the underwriters and all that. Then it explodes onto the, into the public consciousness and manifests itself into the, into the public and actual action that is going on all the time. This framework and the reason Joe and I have worked so hard on this, this, this framework of which was not perfect, but at least it started a structure. This is the EO from the President. The structure in process particularly gave a structure of voluntary, not mandatory, which we think is a requirement. You have to have mandatory. The intelligence services got to be in here, particularly nsa. Scott Besson and Treasury ought to be involved. It ought to be enough in advance. The White House has set up something that's different, but it's least structuring a process. Okay, but then yesterday, Joe, they come out, they came out and put the clamps down on Anthropic. Is it so a lot of the social media that follows these things are saying this is retribution against Anthropic because they've had the situation of the Department of War in their Models. Others are saying we. Well, the White House is actually waking up to the fact now that this needs to be mandatory, can't be voluntary. Can you walk people through exactly what happened yesterday afternoon? What did the White House say and why is this such an important event, sir?
Joe Allen
Yes, the event itself, what we're talking about is an export control that was issued against Anthropic by the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick in particular, sending a letter to the Anthropic CEO, Dario Amadei, ordering him not to allow anyone. No foreign nationals. No foreign nationals either abroad or in America, could use their new system, Fable, Fable 5, which is a kind of nerfed or safety layered version of Mythos, what everyone has been talking about for months now, the model that is so capable when it comes to cyber attacks and cybersecurity. So Howard Lutnick ordering Anthropic to deny access to Fable to any foreign national ultimately means you have to shut it down, because there's no way, really, for Anthropic to, you know, check the passports of everyone who is.
Steve Bannon
But hang on, hang on, but hang on. Slow down, slow down real quick. It's got Howard Lutnick's name. But this is the decision of the President, United States. I mean, this is at the highest level because this is dealing with, particularly after an IPO for Musk Co. And all the national security situations we're in, and everybody's concerned about this. This is a decision made at the highest level. I'd be stunned if Lutnick signed that without running it by not just the White House and the Chief of staff and all that, but actually the senior levels. And that would include the President. I mean, this is a presidential decision. I think it's that high in national security. And that's what the President, remember. The president's the one, Joe, that ultimately, after Elon and these guys wanted to pull and Musk wanted. Excuse me, Elon and then Zuckerberg wanted to pull and not have anything on paper at all about a neo. We were advocates. It's better than nothing. It actually starts. It lays out an initial preliminary rudimentary structure and a beginning of a process. So I think this would have to come from the President. Why is it such a big deal? Why is this such a big deal, you're saying? Because it shuts it down. And do you think that's retribution by the cause? Anthropic is kind of, you know, they have a very different opinion about how things should go than the Department of War and Commerce, sir.
Joe Allen
Well, there are three possibilities. I see. One is, yeah, sure, you can speculate that it's retribution. Given Anthropic dragging its heels in so many ways with the Department of War. It could be that the White House and Commerce Department have overreacted to a security issue that simply isn't as bad as it's being portrayed. We don't know because they haven't released the actual evidence. The guys at Anthropic have viewed it, and they say that it's actually not that big of a concern that other artificial intelligence models are capable of the same. It is also possible, though, Steve, that it is a huge concern, or at least it indicates a huge concern. The argument, the justification for the letter to Anthropic to deny access to foreign nationals is based on a report by Amazon that they were able to jailbreak the fable model. Now, what that means basically is this artificial intelligence model has safety layers put on it to refuse any sort of malicious prompt to make sure that people can't use it to ask how to create a malware or bioweapon or anything like that. So by jailbreaking, what that means is you're able to kind of tease out this forbidden information, this malicious potentiality from the system. And so that's what the report was. The report was it came from Amazon saying that they were able to get around some of those safeguards in the system. And so that would mean then if you extrapolate out from there, that possibly other even more dangerous types of info hazards could be teased out of it. And so I don't really know. Without actually seeing any of the evidence, none of us can really know for sure whether it's an overreaction or whether it's serious. But we do know this sets a precedent. It sets a precedent, Steve, that, yes, the government has now stepped in and said you have to basically shut your system down, in effect. And that's totally. That's not. Nothing even remotely close to that had happened before, certainly not with SACs, the White House.
Steve Bannon
This is huge. And this is. And remember, we're the people in back of deconstructing the administrative state and take on the deep state. But, and I want to quote a buried lead from one of the Axios reports this morning, Axios has done a fantastic job on this. Number one, the White House leaks a lot of stuff to Axios is in one of the stories. And I'll put it up on social media and have Elizabeth Highlight for us. It buried down in the story is that, hello, the companies themselves admit they don't really have control of these models. They don't really know that's what's the danger here. And I want you to explain to the audience why Commerce saying that no foreign national can use this or have any access to it, why that in and of itself immediately shuts down Anthropic's ability to promulgate this, Sir?
Joe Allen
Well, it's really impossible for them to be able to actually. You can, of course, track where an account that is prompting the system is coming from. But the order itself says no foreign national, even on American soil, is allowed to use Fable. So the only real solution to that was what Anthropic did. You just shut it down, you cut off all access, and they just reverted back to their previous, less powerful models. So it's a bit of play there. You can tell that there is a little bit of game playing, because clearly the Commerce Department and the Trump administration would know that they can't just go in and one by one, single out who is and isn't an American citizen, ask for passports. Although something like that. This is one of the fears, Steve, is that something like that, as we move forward into a more regulated environment, that access to any digital platform could be determined by digital IDs, biometric IDs. You know, this has been. This is kind of parallel push. It's a problem then. It's certainly worth lingering on, but maybe not.
Ben Bergquam
Now.
Joe Allen
This order is. It's both a precedent for the government stepping in and saying your technology is too dangerous for the general access across the world. And so you have to rein it in, you have to shut it down. That would be almost like, Steve, it would be like if they asked Boeing to recall all of their jets in a specific line. I mean, it's enormous. And if it's an act of retribution, it's still important because it sets a precedent. If it's an overreaction, it's still important because it won't be one day on down the road. And it's also kind of ironic. A lot of people have noted the irony, the amusing irony, that Dario Amadei and the guys at Anthropic have been the loudest asking for this very sort of action, that the government should have the power to shut down powerful models. And, you know, it's funny that within just a few days of Amadei releasing his essays, asking for this very thing. He got it.
Steve Bannon
He got it, baby. This is why we were advocates in the structure of this, that this not be voluntary by the companies. But they have to actually be mandatory, and it should be at least 90 days out. Why you can avoid a situation like this, this. You actually have people that can work with the companies and go through it and make sure, to the degree possible, Joe, that everything's kind of taken care of. We know what we're doing when it's promulgated, not after it's promulgated. Have to step in here. I mean, that's the whole. The irony I. One of the ironies, the many ironies here, is that a week after the president signed the executive order of mandatory versus versus voluntary, and we know the president was the one that actually wanted to put this thing out because some of the biggest oligarchs didn't want anything in writing. So to me, the president's got to be giving kudos there. But you're actually, to me, it exemplifies the fact of why you got to have a system like this and you got to do it earlier and you can avoid situations like this. Joe Allen, your thoughts?
Joe Allen
Well, I just want to go back to a point you made before about the black box nature of advanced AI that they don't know what's going on inside these systems. So it's impossible to be 100% sure that you won't have a system that does anything from providing code that creates malware that's malicious and exploits vulnerabilities to provide information on how to create bioweapons or any other kind of improvised device. You can't stop it necessarily from telling children to kill themselves. So the black box nature means that it's gonna be. It's very difficult to imagine other than using safeguards to create something like fable where it's completely nerfed and it won't even tell you, you know, what cell biology, the details of cell biology, for fear that you will use that for bioweapons. It's impossible to imagine a world of advanced artificial intelligence where the public simply has access to all of it. And it doesn't end up becoming, as it's been as we see right now, becoming a technology that more and more is used within the national security state or within corporations who have security clearance, because it is, by its very nature, dangerous. It's not like people are making it up when they say that these systems can run an amateur through the process of creating a bioweapon or run an amateur through the process of creating massively destructive cyber weapons. So, yeah, it's going forward. It's going to be very difficult, I think, to keep this under wraps.
Steve Bannon
Joe, real quickly, where do they go to get your writings and where can people follow your travels to see you in person?
Joe Allen
Well, they're gonna have to go overseas to see me in the near future. I'll be going overseas in a couple of days for a secret meeting, but go to JoeBot, XYZOE, BotXYZ, and I'll let you in on those secrets that I can tell. Thank you very much, Steve.
Steve Bannon
Those are, those are, those are the intrigue that we want. Joe Allen, thank you so much, sir. Very enlightening. Short commercial break Back in the Worm in just a moment. Do you owe back taxes or you haven't filed your taxes in years? Now is the time to resolve your tax matters. With the national conversation around abolishing the income tax, the IRS is fighting back and proving it's here to stay by becoming more aggressive than ever before. They're sending out more collection notices, filing more tax liens and collecting billions more in recent years. If you owe, the IRS can garnish your wages, levy your bank accounts, seize your retirement and even your home if you owe or haven't filed. It's not a question of if the IRS will act, it's a question of when it will act. Right now, Tax Network USA is offering a completely free IRS research and discovery call to show you exactly where you stand and what they can stop before it's too late. Their powerful programs and strategies can save you thousands or even eliminate your debt entirely if you qualify. Don't make a costly mistake representing yourself or calling the IRS on your own waives your rights and cost you more money. They are not, and let me repeat, the IRS is not on your side. Get protected the right way with Tax Network USA and start the process of settling your tax matters once and for all today. Call 1-800-958-1000, that's 1-800-958-10000 or visit tnusa.com Bannon for your free discovery call with Tax Network USA. Let me repeat, 800-958-1000. Tell them Bannon sent you. Don't let the IRS be the first to act. Take advantage of first mover advantage.
Joe Allen
You move. War room. Here's your host, Stephen K. Banner.
Steve Bannon
Let's go to Ben Berkwam on parts unknown on these on the southern border in Texas. Sir, where are you and where and when are you getting to El Paso?
Ben Bergquam
I am out. Thank God. Huge shout out to Rio Grande Wrecker Service. They were amazing. Got me out of there. You know, sometimes you pray for patience. Don't do that, because you'll get it. But I'm out. I'm on the road. I'm heading to El Paso. I'll be there later today. I'm going to be back with Border Patrol on Monday. So stay tuned for that. I'm getting all the footage. Not going out to D.C. which actually works out great. But I just want to show you this. The proximity and the danger that we have down here on the border, where I was stuck in the mud was about the same distance. So that's the Rio Grande river, or Rio Grande. I don't want to say river. River. But that's the Rio Grande right there. You can see it's about 2ft deep and about 15ft across. This is where people come up and they'll simply just walk on in. This is the road. This is the road right here. And it just continues on and it goes for hundreds of miles. This little tiny path goes along the river for about 100 miles on our way out towards El Paso. So, again, this is why it's so critical that we focus on all parts of the border. And in particular, never let the Democrats back in power again. Or else they'll just. I mean, again.
Joe Allen
I don't.
Ben Bergquam
I'm not. I'm not overstating that. Our country's close to dead and they're. They're helping do it.
Steve Bannon
They're gonna. They're gonna try to kill us. Ben, give your social media. We're gonna have you live to kick the show off on Monday morning from El Paso, Texas, maybe even from our wall. Where do people go?
Ben Bergquam
I won't be in El Paso Monday. I can't tell you where I'll be because it's gonna be slightly more dangerous.
Steve Bannon
The secret.
Ben Bergquam
The secret.
Steve Bannon
The secret. I got. I got Joe Allen going on a secret. Hang on. I got Joe Allen going on a secret mission to Europe. And I got Ben Berkram going on a secret mission with Border Patrol. Where are your coordinates, sir?
Ben Bergquam
And you have to come back on War Room on Monday to find out. At Real America's Voice at Real AM Voice at Ben Berkwam. Frontline America.com Stubstack Frontline America.
Steve Bannon
Thank you, brother. Appreciate you. Go with God. Taj Gill. Taj, we got you. Can we get you up? You've been on enough secret missions in your life, Taj. Now. Now you're. Now you're a. Now you're a simple. Coffee, was it? Roaster, tell me about your. I need a big pot of this because I'm going into a weekend of meetings and then next week. So I'm not looking forward to it, but it's got to be done. I'm going to need some more path and I'm gonna take it with me. Where, where do I get it? How do I get it, where do I go? And why do I want Warpath Coffee above all others?
Eric Metaxas
You get.
Taj Gill
You get it at Warpath Coffee use promo code War room. So it's Warpath Coffee is a website and promo code war room. 15 off this weekend and the reason you want to try it, it's the best coffee out there. We're approaching 19,000 five star reviews on our website. Plus we have Amazon reviews. So we people love this coffee. We can't roast it fast enough. It's crazy. We the, the, the dark roast, the Mariners blend that's the most popular. Everybody's after dark roast and then the breakfast blend is number two. And the K cups and the dark roast and breakfast blend. Then after that it's like take your pick. But the, the dark chocolate and the vanilla hazelnut. People like those for the flavor coffees. So we roasted on a perforated drum. It's not bitter, it's not acidic. You can drink it straight black. You don't need milk, you don't need sugar. It is the best coffee out there on the market. And we're in shields now. So you can go to the shields and Meridian, Idaho or, or in Salt Lake City, Utah and you can get it there over the counter. It's flying off the shelves. There it is. The best coffee. Warpath Coffee promo code War Room. If you haven't tried it, try it
Steve Bannon
one more time. I want you to read the reviews this weekend. And if you order some coffee, I guarantee you when you have Warpath coffee and what this man and his team has done in making this great coffee, because I am a hardcore coffee drinker, this is the champagne of coffee. Drink it black. That's how you made it to drink it black. And you will have a totally different experience. No cream, no sugar. You don't need it. No acidity. Where they go. Taste Gale one more time.
Taj Gill
Warpath Coffee is promo code War room. Warpath Coffee use promo code War room. And the promo code War room. It'll like on big holidays. We'll bump it up to 20, 25%. But right now it's at. So get on there, read the reviews and buy it.
Steve Bannon
Thank you, sir. Appreciate you.
Taj Gill
Thank you.
Steve Bannon
Steve, go back to work. Now taste. Gill, no secret assignments. Hell would Lose. Joe Allen's on secret Assignment. Ben Berkram's on secret Assignment. What is going on here, man? Mike Lindell. Let's go right to Mike Lindell.
Mike Lindell
Hello, War room posse. Hey. This morning I have another big governor event. We're down here in Rochester, Minnesota, about to go into a gun caucus and protect our Second Amendment right to bear arms. And I'm polling number one. And I can always use your help@lindellgov.com but first and foremost, I wanted to get on here and, and so you don't miss the Father's Day special we're having at MyPillow with promo code War Room. We've got the, we've got the robes, the bathrobes, a hundred dollars off. We've got the premium my pillow King Size 1998, the lowest price in history. And also we've got the crosses on sale. $80 off men and women's. But. And we have our big ticket items, the beds, the mattresses, and the mattress toppers all ship for free, 50% off. Promo code War Room. So if you guys, if you call 800-873-1062, use that promo code war room, or go to mypillow.com forward/war room. All the specials are right there. No matter what you order, it ships for free today. And you guys have a great weekend. Thank you and God bless.
Steve Bannon
Okay, Mike Lindell right there. Wow, what a show. It's got me jacked up, so I haven't gotten to my next pot of warpath coffee. We'll be up on social media all weekend. We're going to kick off. It's going to be a couple of pretty explosives war rooms when we get back on Monday and Tuesday when you join us. Also, we got a big special announcement of something we've been working on. We'll drop that bomb on you on Monday. But a lot going on. Want to thank, want to thank the entire production team in Denver that takes a day out of their weekend. The team rotates through to come in and help us. And of course, my own team here at the, at the War Room, the production team, of course, Grace, Mo, Elizabeth, everybody that's putting out content all the time and especially the engine rooms, whether that's in New York or Phoenix. All these people that watch it so closely and send me stuff to the commentary during the show of maybe things we've overlooked or things we can add to it. It's just fantastic. I think it's one of the great reasons in doing the show in Real time. We try to keep up with everything, but there's so much going on. President Trump really juggling things right now, particularly trying to bring this war to some sort of conclusion or at least enter an interim conclusion, let's say that got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Of course they're attacking non stop. You saw what happened when he put a guy in like Bill Pulte. I've never seen the system go crazier about an individual in this. What's happened this past week and their lessons there. I would anticipate the Bill Pulte is going to wind up somewhere where he can really use his agency. Let's say that you see how they're talking. They're attacking Tulsi Gabbard non stop relentlessly for what she's putting out in her last couple days at dni. Take down the apparatus it needs to. Okay, we're gonna be back Monday morning. We'll be up on social media all weekend. Get me a getter. We'll see you then. Have a great week. Why wait till you're down to your last pill stuck traveling or dealing with a packed pharmacy when you can already have your medications on hand? Seriously, you know what you normally take. You already know what your family could need. That makes no sense. Smart families don't operate like that. That's why I love all family pharmacy. They're built a better, simpler system. To get your prescription medications, you go online, fill out a quick medical form, licensed doctors review your requests, prescribe if appropriate, and your medications are shipped directly to your door. No waiting rooms, no pharmacy lines, no insurance. Nonsense. People are traveling, more schedules are getting crazier. And have your medications already on hand just makes your life easier. Because being prepared isn't paranoia, it's common sense. Go visit my friends@allfamilypharmacy.com that's one word. All family pharmacy.com Bannon and use code Bannon10 to save 10 on your next order. Again, that's all familypharmacy.com Bannon and use code Bannon 10.
"Fighting Back To Save This Christian Nation"
Date: June 13, 2026
Host: Steve Bannon (WarRoom.org)
Featured Guests: Eric Metaxas, Joe Allen, Ben Bergquam, Taj Gill
This episode of Bannon’s War Room centers on the existential crossroads America faces, exploring the nation's Christian roots, the role of belief in sustaining liberty, and growing technological threats. Featuring best-selling author Eric Metaxas discussing his book "Revolution," the show dives into the spiritual underpinnings of the American Revolution and contends that the current era represents another pivotal, possibly divinely ordained, national crisis. Joe Allen brings perspective on the rise of artificial intelligence and its cultural, spiritual, and regulatory implications, while field reports from Ben Bergquam shed light on the ongoing crisis at the southern border. The episode weaves together historical reflection, calls for action, technological anxieties, and fervent appeals to faith and resilience.
(00:50–11:19)
Eric Metaxas recounts a moving encounter:
At a book signing in Idaho Falls, Metaxas meets a man who drove hours after seeing him on the War Room, highlighting the deep resonance of his message and the hunger for historical truth rooted in faith.
Historical turning points and God’s role:
Metaxas draws contrasts between the American, French, and Bolshevik revolutions, arguing only America’s was successful and enduring because it was explicitly grounded in the biblical God. ("Without God, you can't do this...You cannot have America without God." – Eric Metaxas, [03:37–04:00])
The illusion of secular nationhood:
He refutes narratives downplaying the role of Christian faith at America’s origins, calling secular reinterpretations a "lie" (see [03:37–05:30]).
Eric Metaxas [05:00]:
"You don’t have to like it, but you have to acknowledge that without God and without the men in the revolution knowing consciously...we are declaring dependence on the King of kings. Jesus is the king."
America’s current existential crisis:
Metaxas sees today as America's third existential crisis, after the Revolution and Civil War, marked by a cultural confrontation with secularism and renewed acknowledgment of God in public life.
Notable Quote – Eric Metaxas [06:19]:
"We are in kind of a unique moment...where God breaks through. 1776 was one of those moments. And I think we're in one of those moments right now."
Steve Bannon’s perspective:
Bannon draws a parallel between past historical “turnings” and today’s accelerated uncertainty, emphasizing the personal sacrifice at the heart of American nation-building ([06:30–08:27]).
Steve Bannon [07:11]:
"You had a revolution, then you had a war. That war of independence...the spirit flowing through these people, the sacrifices they made in the first 90 days...We came this close from losing it all. And it was only—we should have lost, but..."
(08:27–12:19)
Central message:
The algebraic equation of American success is that 'X = God.' Remove God, and America collapses ([08:27–09:30]).
Lessons from other revolutions:
Metaxas contrasts America’s faith-based founding with the secular, bloody aftermath of the French and Bolshevik revolutions. America, he argues, is unique because its liberty is "God-enabled and self-governed" ([09:00–10:30]).
Sacrifice and agency:
Americans today must confront whether they will "sacrifice what the people sacrificed in 1776"—implying a call to courage, conviction, and openness to God.
Notable Quote – Eric Metaxas [10:47]:
"God has the cards. If he wants to play his cards, we win. We side with God. That’s completely different."
(11:19–14:19)
Book tour details:
Metaxas outlines his tour across the US—engaging with audiences to spread the core message of "Revolution" and America’s need for spiritual renewal (details at ericmetaxas.com) ([11:51–12:19]).
Religious liberty is “at the heart” of America:
He reasserts that "you cannot have America without the God of the Bible," but stresses liberty—faith cannot be compelled, only shared through fact and love ([12:19–14:19]).
Eric Metaxas [12:57]:
"Everybody needs to understand God loves you. He has a plan for your life, but he's not going to force you...Everything you love about America, you cannot have it without the God of the Bible. That's factual."
(16:42–43:45)
Joe Allen’s report from the field:
Allen observes a surge in grassroots engagement with the issues of artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and technology’s destabilizing effects—especially among young people ([20:45–23:13]). The prevailing attitude is not acquiescence but active concern and resistance.
Joe Allen [20:45]:
"People are not beaten down...especially young people."
Resilience as a defining American trait:
Bannon links political and technological challenges, asserting that American resilience—demonstrated during the Revolution and again now—is key to survival and victory ([23:13–25:00]).
Steve Bannon [23:13]:
"If you don't quit, you'll eventually win...the key is we don't quit. We're resilient."
From fringe to mainstream concern:
Allen describes how discourse on AI and transhumanism has gone from fringe to "as normal as talking about environmental concerns," and notes that rising awareness can lead to more measured, fact-based responses rather than panic ([25:00–27:57]).
Government action on AI regulation:
The hosts discuss the White House’s unprecedented clampdown on Anthropic’s AI system, Fable, prohibiting foreign national access due to security concerns ([30:29–40:54]).
Joe Allen [35:29]:
"It's both a precedent for the government stepping in and saying your technology is too dangerous for general access across the world...that would be almost like, Steve, if they asked Boeing to recall all of their jets in a specific line. I mean, it's enormous."
(46:21–48:19)
Ben Bergquam’s border update:
Live from Texas, Bergquam underscores how easily migrants cross into the US, stressing the need for vigilance and policy change to protect national sovereignty ([46:31–47:40]).
Ben Bergquam [47:34]:
"I'm not overstating that. Our country's close to dead and they're...they're helping do it."
(50:06–52:13)
Personal and commercial notes:
Amidst advertisements and supporter shout-outs, Bannon thanks his team, reiterates the magnitude of the tasks ahead, and hints at significant coming announcements.
Passing the torch:
Bannon closes by reminding listeners,
Steve Bannon [14:30]:
"You’re the heirs, you’re the direct heirs of the revolution that started the greatest nation on earth...your task and purpose is to bequeath it in all its glory to future generations."
Eric Metaxas [03:37]:
"Without God, you can't do this, okay? Without God you can't do this."
Eric Metaxas [06:19]:
"There are moments in history where God breaks through. 1776 was one of those moments. And I think we're in one of those moments right now."
Steve Bannon [07:11]:
"You had a revolution, then you had a war. That war of independence...the spirit flowing through these people, the sacrifices they made in the first 90 days..."
Joe Allen [20:45]:
"People are not beaten down...especially young people. They aren't simply swallowing these pills just because they're told this is the future."
Joe Allen [35:29]:
"It's...a precedent for the government stepping in and saying your technology is too dangerous for general access across the world."
Steve Bannon [14:30]:
"You’re the heirs, you’re the direct heirs of the revolution that started the greatest nation on earth..."
Throughout, the tone is urgent, patriotic, faith-driven, and combative—calling listeners to agency, prayer, and vigilance against cultural, spiritual, and technological threats. The hosts and guests maintain their characteristic directness, blending scriptural references with calls to modern action.
For further details on book tour dates and Metaxas’ work: ericmetaxas.com
For Joe Allen’s work on AI and transhumanism: joebot.xyz
This summary covers all substantive content, omitting advertising segments and non-content sections.