THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON, APRIL 8TH, 2026 (EP.#5283)

Summary

Podcast Summary: THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON, APRIL 8TH, 2026 (EP.#5283)

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: Steve Bannon
Date: April 8, 2026

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Main Theme/Overview

This episode of War Room focuses on the current state of U.S.–Iran negotiations following 39 days of conflict in the Middle East, examining what is and isn’t on the negotiating table, the implications of a potential ceasefire, and the broader strategic and civilizational stakes for the United States. Steve Bannon and his guests—Trita Parsi, Sam Faddis, and Captain James Fanell—debate the hard realities and stakes of potential agreements, the role of free navigation and American power, and the deeper threats inside the U.S., especially in Texas. The episode also touches heavily on the influence of China, the role of American naval power, and concerns about national sovereignty and culture.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opportunity Costs & Existential Threats (00:39–05:11)

• Bannon frames the (Middle East) war and nuclear threats as distractions from existential threats at home, specifically AI oligarchs and domestic ideological movements.
• Quote: “We have a weapon that is a hundred times more lethal than nuclear weapons... And they have no control over it.” — Steve Bannon (03:16)

2. Iranian Demands and the 10-Point Framework (05:11–10:41)

• Trita Parsi explains that there is no agreement yet, only that the Iranian 10 points will serve as a framework for negotiations. The U.S. has not agreed to these points, but just accepting them as a basis is already a win for Iran.
  • “...the 10 points that the Iranians have put forward will be the basis of the negotiations. That in and of itself is a win for the Iranians...” — Trita Parsi (05:22)
• Many Iranian demands (e.g., US military withdrawal) are “dead on arrival” for the U.S.
• The Iranians aim for control of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, including the ability to charge tolls. Parsi notes that this gives Iran geopolitical leverage even if the actual fees are small.

3. Strategic Value of the Middle East for the U.S. (09:03–10:24)

• Parsi: The Persian Gulf is no longer a vital U.S. interest; Asia and Europe are more affected by any disruptions.
  • “This Strait of Hormuz is important to Asian countries and to European countries. It is not crucial to the United States any longer.” — Trita Parsi (09:06)

4. Likelihood and Consequences of Any Agreement (10:41–12:03)

• Parsi is pessimistic about a full agreement, forecasting a “non-agreement agreement” where neither side fully concedes.
  • “I think there's gonna be a non agreement agreement, which means the two sides don't come to an agreement on any of these points...” — Trita Parsi (10:42)
• Predicts Iran will charge tolls, but U.S. won’t fully lift sanctions or accept all Iranian terms.

5. Faulty Intelligence and Israeli Influence (12:03–14:48)

• Discussion of a NYT report that Israeli intelligence was “100% dead wrong” about Iranian capabilities and internal politics.
  • “Everything they briefed President Trump on was wrong.” — Steve Bannon (12:57)
  • “...Trump was convinced to think that this was going to be very, very easy... again, based on rosy pictures and false intelligence.” — Trita Parsi (13:21)
• Raises doubts about future U.S. strategic decisions, given flawed past intelligence.

6. Summary of the Negotiation Deadlock (17:41–24:09)

• Sam Faddis and Bannon agree that the Iranian 10-point plan is an unacceptable “surrender document” for the U.S.
  • “They represent a surrender document. A surrender document for us...” — Sam Faddis (17:46)
  • “There’s no way in hell we can agree to this thing.” — Sam Faddis (24:33)
• The Iranian side and its proxies (e.g., Hezbollah) are publicly celebrating and framing this moment as a major U.S. defeat.

7. China’s Geostrategic Role (21:08–22:37)

• Bannon highlights China’s behind-the-scenes influence, especially given its heavy energy interests and alliance with Iran and Pakistan.
  • Suggestion that Trump should negotiate directly with Xi Jinping in Beijing rather than continuing through third parties like Pakistan.

8. Domestic Threats and the Texas Education Battle (27:40–33:15)

• Brandon Hall updates on the struggle over the Texas history curriculum, emphasizing the effort to keep patriotic, “pro-America” content and push back against Islamic influence.
  • “Our students need to know that this is a foreign way of life. It’s not just a religion, it’s a whole set of values and a system of Sharia.” — Brandon Hall (30:26)

9. Strategic Imperatives: Naval Power and Free Navigation (33:15–39:53)

• Captain Fanell adamantly opposes any U.S. concession over navigation rights or the charging of tolls by Iran in international waters, warning of the precedent it would set for China and others.
  • “There’s no way that we can allow Iran to charge tolls for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The precedent that that would set would undo... 250 years of American naval heritage...” — Captain Fanell (34:47)
• General consensus: America must not cave, must maintain victory, and cannot allow “pirates” or theocrats to set maritime rules.

10. Final Reflections: What Victory Requires (39:53–41:35 & 44:25–45:16)

• Bannon and Faddis reiterate that no matter how the war started or evolved, America must achieve clear victory to uphold its legitimacy and deterrence.
  • “We have to win the war. And it has to be perceived that we win the war.” — Sam Faddis (40:24)
  • “You’re in a shooting war... we have to have victory. It’s not a choice. We have to have victory.” — Steve Bannon (41:06)
• The greatest threats may be within—opportunity costs of focusing abroad when existential issues (e.g., AI oligarchs, border security, ideological struggles) loom at home.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Iranian 10-Point Plan:

• “Those are the 10 points. I haven't heard the White House say that yet... You can't have a conversation because to even have a conversation assumes you're interested in the response and we're not interested in the response. So how can those 10...? It's gotta be, it can’t be those 10.” — Steve Bannon (05:54)
• “I don't think the United States in any way, shape or form will pay reparations to Iran. And I don't think the Iranians will dictate whether the US should stay or leave militarily in the region.” — Trita Parsi (07:07)

On U.S. Strategy and Global Perception:

• “If we agree to anything remotely resembling these 10 points, do you think Beijing takes seriously anything we say about Taiwan?” — Sam Faddis (20:14)
• “We have to win the war. ...There’s no rewind button. You can’t now say we’re tired of it and walk away. We have to win.” — Sam Faddis (40:40)

On the Texas Curriculum Debate:

• “Our students just need to know the 1400 years of documented history of Islam showing up on your doorstep. And they never show up to coexist or to get along or to assimilate. They always show up to conquer and to take over.” — Brandon Hall (30:46)
• “The fight we've got right now ain't in Tehran. The fight we have right now is inside the wire in the United States of America and we're losing this country.” — Steve Bannon (32:01)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:39 – Bannon opens with "primal scream" monologue; sets existential framing.
• 05:11 – Trita Parsi discusses Iranian negotiation framework.
• 07:07 – Parsi: Most Iranian demands are dead on arrival.
• 09:03 – Parsi: Strait of Hormuz less relevant to U.S.
• 10:41 – Parsi: Predicts “non agreement agreement.”
• 12:03 & 13:03 – NYT report, Israeli intelligence failures discussed.
• 17:41 – Sam Faddis: Iranian position is a surrender document.
• 21:08 – China’s role, Belt & Road Initiative, connection to Iran.
• 27:40 – Texas education fight – Brandon Hall segment begins.
• 33:15 – Captain Fanell: Strategic imperative of free navigation.
• 39:53 – Faddis: America's historical imperative for free navigation.
• 41:35 – Next steps; final geopolitical reflections.

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Tone and Language

• Bannon’s tone is urgent, combative, nationalist, and at times apocalyptic.
• Frequent allusions to history, American identity, and existential stakes.
• Guests are analytical but generally align with the host’s worldview.
• Language often martial: “surrender document,” “foundation of American power,” “the fight inside the wire,” “must be defeated.”

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Summary for New Listeners

This episode delivers a dense, fiery examination of the U.S.–Iran ceasefire and its implications, with a clear message that American strategic and cultural survival is at stake both abroad and—more importantly—in the domestic frontlines. The podcast warns of the dangers of distraction by foreign conflicts when even greater perils (AI, immigration, cultural shifts) threaten at home, and insists that America cannot afford to compromise its principles, especially regarding free navigation and national sovereignty.

Transcript

[Podcast Announcer]

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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. I got a free shot. All these networks lying about the people, the people have had a belly full of it. I know you don't like hearing that. 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? Mag I wish in my soul, 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 country, this country will be saved. War ROOM here's your host, Stephen K. Ban. Wednesday, 8 April Yovalord 2026 okay, the concept of opportunity cost. Why are we here? Why are we discussing this war in the Middle east the last 39 days? And I want to really thank the great analysts and observers we have because I think we've done as good a job as possibly could do of giving everybody the range of things that are out there. To come to your own conclusions, make sure you understand it, about opportunity costs and let's say this nuclear threat, which I never thought was really much of a nuclear threat, but let's assume that even they had a close to a nuclear threat or a couple of years away from making the bombs. Ladies and gentlemen, that is 1/100th of the threat to this nation. Read the Axios frickin piece. Why do you think we got Joe Allen in here? Five years ago we understood this day was coming. This day. Not to talk about 10 points. And what is Iran saying and what's the United States saying and what are we all doing? Because look, we're going to work through that. We're all going to work through that. An existential threat to this country at this moment is the out of control oligarchs overseeing AI. And this is what I've been saying about the amnesty and the framework and all. Yes, the children are very important. You Got to get on top of that because they're going to try to exploit that. The thing about creative control and conservatives and content providers, that's so important, the single most important issue is we have a weapon that is a hundred times more lethal than nuclear weapons. Today in Axios, they admit that and they have no control over it. No control over it. The originators admit that. And this is this whole fight. They've had a huge fight in the Pentagon over the last couple of months about actually. Well, we can give this to you. You can't. That, you know, this is out of control. This could destroy humanity today. Not some issue about what. Could they launch a nuke on Israel or they could do this or send it to Saudi Arabia or, God forbid, send it to uae. Destruction of humanity. And because of opportunity costs, because as a country, we are obsessed with it. We are not dealing with the problems in this nation. The problems in this nation do not exist in the streets of Tehran or with the Islamic theocracy running Iran. It's inside the wire here between the oligarchs and the Marxist jihadists running New York City and trying to take over the state of Texas full stop in the 25 million illegal aliens that are here. And all this is going to do at the end of this is make this nation more populist and more nationalistic. Trita Parsi, I want to thank you for coming on here in the last couple weeks. I know you got a lot of grief about this. We got grief about it. But you have done. Because I've gone back and looked at Saeep. You've done an excellent job of giving us the perspective of kind of the people across the table today, but the people that were, you know, and not just the theocrats, but other people, other dissident voices in there. So here's the question I've got, because I've read your stuff and all the stuff in the European papers, and I asked Reagan Reese, who asked the best question at the Pentagon briefing today and is a White House correspondent for the Daily Caller, as I've asked Posobeck, and I'm about to ask Fadis, what Exactly is the 10 points that are agreed to right now? Because I see what you're putting out, I see what the Iranians are putting out, I see what's in the European papers, and I saw President Trump's, I guess the 92nd interview he had on Sky TV. What is agreed to right now, sir?

[Trita Parsi]

We don't know if anything has been agreed on within those 10 points, but rather, what Trump has said is that the 10 points that the Iranians have put forward will be the basis of the negotiations. And so it's important to understand the United States has not agreed to those points, but it has agreed to have those points to be the basis, the framework for the negotiations. That in and of itself is a win for the Iranians, because the 15 points that Trump had put forward before was essentially the terms of Iran's capitulation. And that is not what this negotiation is going to be about. Now, will the United States agree to all of those different 10 points? I find that's very unlikely. So demands that the US should leave the region entirely militarily, I don't think Trump is going to agree to. Although will I put the.

[Steve Bannon]

Hang on, but hang on, hang on. Ho, ho, slow down, slow down, slow down. You're sugarcoating this. There's, there's not an if. Those are the 10 points. I haven't heard the White House say that yet. Maybe, maybe somebody has. I just asked Reagan Reese, who's the White House correspondent for Daily Caller and asked the ballsiest question of Hexis this morning about the total civilizational destruction of the Persian people. But my point is, is that actually a basis? Because I think the way I count, there's eight or 10 of them. You can't even if you have a conversation, it means you're interested in what the Iranians have to say. And quite frankly, we're not interested in the reparations. Their control of the Straight Order moves we remove all our military from the Middle East. You can't have a conversation because to even have a conversation assumes you're interested in the response and we're not interested in the response. So how can those 10. There's gotta be a different 10. It's gotta be, it can't be those 10. Cuz that's not a basis. A basis means there's something here. We'll work it out and on the margin and Maybe we go 70% and you go 30. There's seven or eight of these that are dead on arrival, aren't they? Am I missing it or. I think maybe I am. And if I am, I want you to tell me that.

[Trita Parsi]

Yeah, look, several of them are dead on arrival. I agree with that. I don't think the United States in any way, shape or form will pay reparations to Iran. And I don't think the Iranians will dictate whether the US should stay or leave militarily in the region. I personally think that The US should leave anyways. And frankly, Trump himself has said that we should be leaving. Unfortunately, we're not. But again, it will not be because the Iranians are dictating it to the United States in a negotiation. But I do think that there are other elements of this that are going to be part of the end result. If there is an agreement, the strait will be open. I mean, what is happening in the next two weeks while the negotiations are taking place is that these straits will be open, but the Iranians will be charging fees for the transit of these ships together with the country of Oman. For the United States to accept that and recognize that is in and of itself a big step towards making that a permanent feature. Now, these are not huge amounts of money, nor is it going to give the Iranians a lot of income, but it's going to give them geopolitical leverage. And that is one of the features,

[Steve Bannon]

is that even if there is no. Hang on, hang on, hang on. Is that not the moral equivalent? I just said this was not Suez. They're trying to say this is the American Suez. I said, no, it's not the American Suez. Maybe what happens in Taiwan in a couple of weeks? Excuse me, Taiwan, in Beijing in a couple of weeks. Correct me if I'm wrong. You're a smart guy. If we agree that the Iranians with the Omanis or that group of pirates down there in the cliffs around Hormuz get to charge a toll in what has been heretofore free navigation, is that not an American Suez? We can't agree to that. How do you agree to that? That means you guys are in control of the straits or Hormuz, and once you're in charge of it, charging a fee under our acquiescence, how are we ever going to wind that back, sir?

[Trita Parsi]

So I think it's important to recognize one thing Trump already said about two weeks ago. The United States is not importing oil from the Persian Gulf. This Strait of Hormuz is important to Asian countries and to European countries. It is not crucial to the United States any longer. The entire Middle east is no longer crucial to the United States. This is one of those problems that we have here in the United States in which we are overextended in a region that doesn't have a vital interest for US national security any longer. We're not in need of the oil from the Middle East. The rest of the global market is. And they were not willing to step up when Trump asked them to step up. Step up militarily and help And I have full understanding why they didn't. It would have been a losing proposition. And Trump has essentially said, look, this doesn't bother concern us any longer. And as a result, if the rest of the world has a problem with Iranians charging a fee, then the rest of the world will have to deal with it. You know what the rest of the world is going to do? They're going to acquiesce to it. They're going to negotiate their own arrangements with Iranians because the fees are nominal, are very, very small. And the idea of either going to war with Iran or just paying the small fee is a no brainer for the vast majority of countries. If the United States with its massive navy couldn't open up the straits militarily, what is South Korea or Japan going to do about it?

[Steve Bannon]

I'm going to put this to Fanel and Fatis as soon as you bounce, but continue on because your analysis of this is what else about these 10 points, do you think it's worked? It starts on Friday, I think in Islamabad. Give me your assessment of that.

[Trita Parsi]

So I don't think this is gonna end up working. I don't think there's gonna be an agreement. Instead I think there's gonna be a non agreement agreement, which means the two sides don't come to an agreement on any of these points or the majority of these points. But it does not mean that the United States goes back into war with Iran because Trump did the right thing of pulling out of this. He should never have gone into this war at this point. It should be, it was a mistake. This does not serve US Interests. And even if the Israelis want to continue the war, that should be an Israeli war. There should have been an Israeli war from the outset without the involvement of the United States. And that is then going to leave a scenario in which there will not be an agreement, but there will be a new reality. I think one of those realities is that the Iranians are going to charge tolls in the Persian Gulf, but the US Is not going to lift sanctions on Iran. It's not going to do any of those other things that the Iranians are asking for. But it's also not going to go back into a war that really does not a path to victory at this point. I would be very surprised after Trump's experience in the last 39 days that he decides that this is worth another go. Now if the Israelis push again, which I think they will, it will really come to Trump making a decision as to whether he wants the Israelis to decide when the United States goes to war or whether the President of the United States decides when the United States goes to war.

[Steve Bannon]

Let's go to. Okay. The New York Times then reported Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan as part of their new book. It was a shocking, I think, expose in the. And who knows if it's fake news or not. But the first part of it was about Israel's presentation, I think, on February 11th to President Trump actually in the Situation Room, which is pretty extraordinary. I'm not so sure that's ever happened before, to have a foreign leader in the Situation Room. Then it was about President Trump's senior advisers. It turns out that at least according to the New York Times, and I haven't seen it refuted by the Israelis, they were 100% dead wrong on all their intelligence. Everything they briefed President Trump on was wrong. And the second part of the story was J.D. and Ratcliffe and Marco going out of their way to say their intelligence is wrong and here's what's correct and maybe we shouldn't do this. What's your assessment of that piece, sir?

[Trita Parsi]

It does correspond with what I heard throughout this entire period that Trump himself was the person in the White House most eager to go down this path because the Israelis had managed to convince him. And this also comes through very clearly in this piece. And it's also what I've been saying on your show in previous interviews. Trump was convinced to think that this was going to be very, very easy. And if it was going to be easy, he would never have to deal with these issues of the Iranians controlling the straits, or that this his poll numbers in the US or did it impacting inflation and gasoline prices, because this would be over with within four days. Slightly longer than Venezuela, but far more glorious. They had managed to convince him of that, again, based on rosy pictures and false intelligence.

[Steve Bannon]

Very specifically, the Israeli part of the presentation is that after the initial bombing of the shock and awe, that the Iranian military would not have any ability to control the Strait of Hormuz and there would be a massive uprising of the people. Wrong on both counts. And I mean, not kind of like we're 5% off or 10% off. I mean, dead wrong.

[Trita Parsi]

Completely off.

[Steve Bannon]

Dead.

[Trita Parsi]

Exactly. Exactly. And again, I hope the President really.

[Steve Bannon]

Yeah, go.

[Trita Parsi]

I just really hope that the president really takes this into account because he is going to be faced with the Israelis very soon pushing him to go back into this war. They're dead set against this ceasefire. One of the senior officials in Israel, politicians in Israel it the worst political debacle in Israeli history that the ceasefire was reached. So he's going to have to make a decision. And learning that he was fed with false intelligence, false assessments by the Israelis should weigh on his mind when he makes his necessity next decision.

[Steve Bannon]

Thank you. Trita, where do people go to keep up with your substack and all your

[Trita Parsi]

should go to substack at Trinaparsi, Twitter at T. Parsi and go to the Quincy Institute's website, which is quincyinst.org

[Steve Bannon]

thank you, sir. Appreciate you.

[Trita Parsi]

Thank you so much.

[Steve Bannon]

If you couple, if you couple the New York Times article with what's happened over the last 24 hours, it's shocking and I haven't seen anybody step up and refute it. Actually. I don't know how they're going to release that book given the sense of sensitive nature of the information put out yesterday. I hope that somebody has had a full review of said book. Anyway, short break. Fennell Faddis, Next War Room. Here's your host, Stephen K. Ban. Thank you. In a few minutes we're going to go to Brandon hall down in Texas. They went to two in the morning last night on the textbook situation and care and the Muslim Brotherhood's involvement in that. We're going to get everything. We're going to get all the information, get everything straight. That's the enemy inside the wire. That is the enemy we need to deal with. Not in Tehran, not this excursion. Let's get it behind us and move on. I want to thank our sponsors. Birch Gold. Take your phone at text Bannon B A N N O N at 989-898. Get the ultimate guide for Investing in Gold and Precious Metals in the Age of Trump. Now more than ever, there's no obligation. It's totally free. Birchgold wants to immerse you in information. Make sure you're a savvy, a customer or investor as possible. You get the end of the Dollar Empire promo code abandoned. Birchgold.com, immerse yourself eight free installments out. Immerse yourself in information. Make your own decision. Use your agency. Also want to thank home title lock? Go to hometitleoc.com, promo code Steve, do not allow particularly today with the anthropic piece. And we'll talk more about that this afternoon with Joe Allen and others and then tomorrow morning. Also, because this is the biggest news of the day. When you read that, you'll realize the rudimentary system we have to protect. Your title is pretty rudimentary. Go check it out. Hometitlelock.com, promo code. Steve, you get two weeks free of $1 million triple lock protection. So you can totally understand it. So go do that today. Talk to Natalie Dominguez and the team. They make themselves available. Take advantage of it. People that have love it for pennies a day takes away that angst and anxiety. I'm gonna get to Captain Fennell in a moment. Sam Faddis, you've been a fountain of reason in this entire time. Give us your assessment of where we are and where do you think we're headed?

[Sam Faddis]

Where we are, we have a ceasefire and we're going to sit down at a table and we're going to negotiate. That's and. And we have nothing beyond that. What we have are. I can tell you what the Iranians say the 10 points are that we have allegedly agreed to negotiate from. They represent a surrender document. A surrender document for us. I mean, we're the guys in the Japanese uniforms on the battleship in Tokyo Bay. In this scenario, we are supposed to withdraw all our troops from the region, acknowledge their control over the Straits of Hormuz, acknowledge their right to continue to exact a toll, lift all our sanctions against them, also roll back every resolution the United nations ever passed on the nuclear program. We're supposed to agree to their right to enrich uranium. It is a complete their document as pay reparation.

[Steve Bannon]

I just want to make sure the audience understands something. Sam Fadis is not saying this is reality and Steve Bannon is not saying this is reality.

[Sam Faddis]

Right.

[Steve Bannon]

The Iranians have now first, when they promulgated it yesterday, I was up saying, no, no, no, no. There's other 10 points out there. But to my knowledge, I look to my crack staff or even the war room, engine room, I haven't seen the administration come back with a counter and say, no, those. President Trump mentioned it on this Sky News 90 second interview. That that was not correct. I do think we need to see those. Although, hey, if you start the process, you start the process, but it can't. Sam, correct me if I'm wrong. I told Trita that can't be the basis of negotiations. Cuz I count seven or eight of those that are dead on arrival. Just. And no need to have a conversation because we're never going to get there. Like for instance, no need to have a conversation about, you know, charging a toll because it ain't the $2 million a ship. That's not the point. The point is that we would actually agree that you have the ability to control the strait, although, quote, unquote, it's open by actually charging a toll. And we're going to turn it over to the British and the French and the other hapless Europeans to essentially put the Revolutionary Guard and a group of pirates down off Hormuz in charge. And there's many more besides that. Correct. So it can't be a basis since these are dead on arrival. Right?

[Sam Faddis]

Well, you and I are in complete agreement on that. But what I know is that the Iranians are saying officially on their state media that this, that is the basis. Hezbollah is saying that the Iranian. The Hezbollah is celebrating the Iraqi. The Iranian proxies in Iraq are celebrating. They are openly describing this as, as a decisive victory over the United States. We are surrendering to them. They are not pulling any punches. So, yeah, I'm like, you, okay, we got a ceasefire, but what exactly are we talking about? Because, you know, we keep coming, trying to come back to as, as Captain Fennell says, the main thing, which is China and Taiwan. Well, if we agree to anything remotely resembling these 10 points, do you think Beijing takes seriously anything we say about Taiwan? I mean, if we start this war and then surrender.

[Steve Bannon]

Ah, but you've gotten to the core point because China had their hand in the invisible hand of the ccp. They kind of came to the forefront yesterday. They're actively working because Pakistan, President Trump has a great relationship with the field Marshal, but Pakistan's an ally of the Chinese Communist Party on the one on the Belt Road, all of it. And they're one of the. That's one of the most dangerous spots on Earth, the Iranians. It's one of their. As I drove the thing a couple of years ago, the Iranians are the, probably the biggest real ally that the, that CCP has particularly. They got a 40 year output deal on oil and they're, and they're taking the risk to pay for it in the yuan, which is a big currency risk, sir. So my point, I think this needs to be. I think the White House and people around the White House have got to put out the 10 points that we think we're negotiating on. Otherwise, because I'm all for this. An off ramp. Let's get it done. Let's get that. Let's send the carrier battle groups over to the Pacific where they should be right, which is our naturally strategic barrier. The Central Pacific is the strategic heartland of our hemispheric defense. Let's get serious and get over there and get the hell out of this place. But if it's what the Iranians keep saying they're media lies all the time, but I haven't seen any refutation. President Trump is never going to get there on the points because he's adamant about a bunch of these points. Am I missing it?

[Sam Faddis]

No, you're dead on. We cannot possibly come anywhere close to, to negotiating an end to this war based on the 10 points the Iranians have put forward. But those are the only 10 points. And they say in their announcement, they, the Iranians, when they said we agree to this cease fire, they were very explicit in saying that we are negotiating from our 10 points, that they had rejected the original 15 point plan, I think it was that Trump put out. And now the Americans have agreed to negotiate on this basis. Now the fact that Iran says that doesn't make that true. That's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying. But okay, we're miles apart here.

[Steve Bannon]

But Sam, there's a but hang on, there's a logic there. We put out a maximalist position. I thought the 15 points were pretty good. It's a maximalist position which I'd love to take. And President Trump, that's how he's negotiate. These guys put a maximalist position. But when you do deals you've got to have a big crossover at some point because there's always tension before you close and execute on the deal. Right. To pull it apart, you're so far the bid and the ask here are so far apart. You're going to ask Donald Trump for reparations, you're going to ask Donald Trump to pull out all the military we've got in the Middle East. I mean in this regard, what the Israelis are saying right now is that this thing's a non starter and when they look at the 10 points and they're getting their nose rubbing this, they're actually from their perspective. Correct. Are they not?

[Sam Faddis]

Yeah, they are. I mean look, we're. The Iranians say as one of their 10 points, we will cease all activity against all of their proxies, including the Lebanese resistance. For those that don't speak, Ayatollah, that's code for Hezbollah. We and the Israelis need to stop being mean to Hezbollah. We got to pay reparation. I mean on and on and on the thing. That's why I say that as drafted, this is a surrender document. There's no way in hell we can agree to this thing. So good question. What are we going to exact, what are we talking about when we sit down in Islamabad? Because we are miles and miles apart here.

[Steve Bannon]

I just think we need clarity. Captain Fanell, your thoughts and observations on this.

[Captain Fennell]

Sam, I mean if we, if we go with what the Iranians are putting out, it would be a surrender. Obviously President Trump isn't going to surrender. So I think, I'm not a diplomat but I would guess that if I was heading to Pakistan to try to negotiate this that I, it would be a very tough, tough meeting because these are, some of these things are, you just can't get around. I think the nuclear.

[Steve Bannon]

But hang on, but hang on, but hang on, hang on, hang on. Why do we even go to, why do you even. Look, I'm a guy that wants to get the hell out of here. Why do you even go to Islamabad? You tell them right now and say, hey look, we don't want to go back to using the, we don't want to go back but in this ceasefire there's got to be some light at the end of the two week tunnel. We don't want to go back to pounding again. So right now there's such a, and what they've put out there, 10 points are so in your face offensive that how do you even go to Islamabad? What do you talk about?

[Captain Fennell]

Well, again I'm not a diplomat so I wouldn't go there because I wouldn't be able to talk to them. But there's got to be something that if we're going to try to get through this and get some kind of peace agreement and stop this killing, then let's see what happens. But if it doesn't work, we're going to go back to it. And I think whoever's on our side going there is going to say exactly that message. If you guys don't start acting realistic with us, then it's just going to, we're going to turn the spigot on again and this time, as the President said, we're going to take out, you know, your infrastructure, oil, electrical, power grid. We're going to make sure that you can't function as a society. So I think that's what the hardball that's going to be played in, in Pakistan.

[Steve Bannon]

Yeah, hang on for a second. I want to hold to you guys. We're going to go to Texas briefly and find out what's going on there. But I've got a recommendation, you just tell them, hey look, we saw the 10. We're going to, we're going to have a stand down but the real meeting is going to be in Beijing on 5-13-14. Let's get principles in the room. The United States and the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party's hands all over this and they need the oil better, worse than anybody in the world. So, so let's deal principle to principle. Why are we dealing with intermediaries like the Pakistanis and even the Revolutionary Guard? Because we can pound those guys. Again, let's have principle to principle. Let's have Xi and President Trump sit there and make the deal, make the peace. And while we're at it, let's send a couple of carrier battle groups through the streets of Taiwan as a little heads up to the ccp. Short break.

[Trita Parsi]

War Room, here's your host, Stephen K. Band.

[Steve Bannon]

Okay, let's talk about a real problem down in Texas. Brandon hall joins us. Brandon, we left Frank yesterday. Frank Gaffney just left testifying. We got an update. Correct me if I'm wrong, I understand you guys went to 2 in the morning Central time in Austin dealing with this situation, sir.

[Brandon Hall]

Yeah, that's correct, Steve. We heard from hundreds of testifiers yesterday on this issue. But I'll tell you, Texas Patriots yesterday roared like a lion. And a big part of that was definitely War Room. We had lots of people come in and say that they were sent there by your show here. And so I just want to thank you and the Texas Patriots for highlighting this issue. And you know, the media was trying to paint this as a one sided issue. So really it's your show that helped us turn out all these people.

[Steve Bannon]

So where do we stand? I mean, our audience was pretty shocked yesterday when they heard that some Republican, a Republican was still pushing this and that people just didn't understand the logic of Teach American history and Texas history and patriotic history. That we the concept that we would have any Islamic involvement in this whatsoever is just such an alien concept, no pun intended, to our audience. So why did people are shocked this morning when they're here and it went to 2 in the morning? It should have been over with a quick vote, quick discussion and a vote when you guys finished. So why did it go into the early hours of the morning, sir?

[Brandon Hall]

Well, part of it was a lot of the testifiers that we had. It took a while to get through all those testimonies. But again, yes, we're going to be in debate probably all day today going through this line by line. And we're going to have to defend keeping the good American patriotism and exceptionalism and our Texas history in and making sure that we don't get the global perspectives and definitely not the influence of Islam. And so this battle is far from over. I'm encouraged. We had some good amendments that were positive yesterday, and I think that's because the SBOE members are hearing from these testifiers. And so I think people who may have been a little on the fence or a little bit not as strong as they needed to be in standing up to Islam, I think they were really motivated to do the right thing by all the testifiers that we had yesterday.

[Steve Bannon]

So what's going to happen today? I know you got to bounce because the meeting is about to start, but just walk us through what's going to happen at the what are you saying that the best outcome we could have by the end of the day?

[Brandon Hall]

Well, the best outcome that we could have by the end of the day is to pass what we have on the table right now. And I'm going to have some amendments and some of the conservatives will have amendments that would strengthen it. But the draft that we have right now with the sweeping amendment that was made last night is very pro. America teaches a great perspective of American history, and it's very America and Texas focused. It's not globalists at all. We're in a really good spot with Islam. I'm going to make some amendments today to try to strengthen where we're at with Islam because our students need to know that this is a foreign way of life. It's not just a religion, it's a whole set of values and the system of Sharia. It's a foreign way of life that would destroy this country if we allow it to take a foothold. And so our students just need to know the 1400 years of documented history of Islam showing up on your doorstep. And they never show up to coexist or to get along or to assimilate. They always show up to conquer and to take over. So if we can show our students that, I think we have a good, better chance in America of stopping it. And so we're going to be fighting that today. But the best possible case scenario is that we can pass what we have with maybe a little bit more strength to it.

[Steve Bannon]

Brandon, where do people follow you on social media and your website? Because there is an intense interest, not just in our great patriots that follow the show in Texas, but throughout the country and quite frankly, our large international audience. All eyes are on Texas today, sir. So where do they go to follow you?

[Brandon Hall]

Yeah, they can find me@brandonhalltx on x.com and they can also go to sboe.texas.gov to find out my bio and a Little bit more information about me as well as my contact info.

[Steve Bannon]

Thank you, sir. Appreciate you.

[Brandon Hall]

Thank you, Steve.

[Steve Bannon]

Captain Fanell, you've done such a great job here on going through the CENTCOM and the military plan the defang and decline. But this is my point. You gave a very touching and meaningful talk about your brother in arms that you served with. And then he went back to Texas. He was a real Texan. You talked about Texas values. You talked about what made this man what he is. This is my point. The fight we've got right now ain't in Tehran. The fight we have right now is inside the wire in the United States of America and we're losing this country. I want people to understand until. And it's not about the war room, it's about, you know, Jenny's story and people rallying down there starting in January. Karen Sigmund, all the great patriots in Texas to fight this imposition of Sharia law that is so far advanced as Peter McElvenny has told us. He went there and said in the same timeframe in London and London has fallen that it is much more advanced in the state of Texas. And this is what we have to say. We have to beat this back. This is like the gates of Vienna. This is like Tours, right? This is like Charles Martel the Hammer defeating them. They are in this country and they must be defeated. We don't have a choice. If we do not defeat it and we don't defeat it in Texas, you're not going to have a country. You're going to have what's happening in New York City today. Captain Finnell, given that, your perspective on where do we go here in this situation in Iran, Sir.

[Captain Fennell]

Well, Steve, just one comment about Markham Dawson who passed away last week. Markham is a seventh generation Texan and he was standing up against the invasion as you're talking about. There was no question in his mind that Texas was under attack and he understood that. And so patriots like the one you just had on and others that are in Texas and your show that's been down there, it's very, very important. So I don't disagree with you at all. We have to make sure that we secure our own internal borders and we have to clean this up and we cannot allow this to happen to America. But in terms of the external fight, we are in a fight. We've been in a fight for a month now with the Iranian regime and we need to, we need to find a way to get out of it without allowing them to hold the world and ourselves hostage. So that negotiation is going to happen. If it doesn't go well, I see that, as the Secretary of War said, our forces are still in the region and still will be able to bring power to bear. I see the Iranian response, and I heard the, you know, a gentleman from the Quincy Institute talk about, you know, where the Iranians are and what they think. It's kind of like a small child. You know, they throw a temper tantrum, but they really can't do much. You're still the parent, you still have the power, and they can say and do what they want. What is really critical is that, in my opinion, are the two issues. It's what we do and how we negotiate, the nuclear issue, which is really important, but also the Strait of Hormuz. And there's no way that we can allow Iran to charge tolls for transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The precedent that that would set would undo not just 250 years of American naval heritage, but another 2, 3, 400 years of British and other nations. We cannot allow the Iranians to have a toll booth to control international waterway. If we do that, then Beijing will try to do the same for the Strait of Malacca, the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan, to be honest. So. And beyond. They want to control even around, out to Hawaii and beyond. So we cannot allow that to happen. I don't think the president will allow that to happen. And I think the best way to demonstrate our ability in this negotiation is to have freedom of navigation with our ships. And we have five ships, American ships, flagships that are in the gulf right now. I know others have been calling for this. I repeat what they've said. Salmo Kaliago, I spelled the same his name wrong. But we need to get our American ships out that are flagged to demonstrate that we're not going to stand by for this and help the other nations that are dependent upon this. We don't have to stay there forever, but we have to demonstrate that the Iranians are toothless in this area. And if they pop off and try to shoot somebody, then the hammer comes down again. But we've got to get through this and we got to get out of it to focus on the main thing, which is what this meeting with Xi and President Trump is going to be about in May, which is to remind Xi that he is not going to control half of the Pacific Ocean and keep us in the west coast of America. That's not going to happen.

[Steve Bannon]

As the, you Know Captain Fanell, myself, Poso, we've talked about the Chinese Communist Party involved in it. They came forward yesterday. So now you know their involvement. And this is going to be central. I'm still of the belief. Forget Islamabad. Let's just negotiate it mano a mano in the same room in Beijing. Captain Fennell, thank you so much. Look forward to having you back on, sir. Great analysis, Sam. Faddis, your closing thoughts on this on day 39. Sam, you've done such a good job being so even handed. It looks like the Iranians are so over the top, it would lead one to believe that the balloon may go up again. Am I too far off base in saying that?

[Sam Faddis]

No, at this point, if I had to predict, I would predict that we're going to be back in a shooting war sooner rather than later. I hope that's not true, but we're miles apart. I mean, look, we think, or want to think, they're coming to the table because they believe they are losing the war. They are coming to the table because they believe they are winning the war and we are losing, which is why they're dictating terms to us which amount to surrender. So that's where we are. You don't have to agree with their assessment. You don't have to have to adopt their position. I'm just saying they don't at this point believe that we are forcing them to the table. They believe they have forced us to the table. That's where we are

[Steve Bannon]

in America's national security strategy since really the beginning of this republic. And I realize we've become an imperial power all over the globe. One of the central underlyings that we assumed, and this is what about the end of the dollar empire at Bretton woods once the Royal Navy and the British pound couldn't do it? The Americans stepped in at the end of World War II. But free navigation has been a central, central, central. Look at World War I, look at World War II, the Pacific, all of it. How big a deal? Because people say, well, hey, it's a couple million bucks. If you look at the thing. It doesn't matter. It's not about the money. It's not about even how bad this is, which is terrible. Paying it in Chinese currency instead of petrodollars. It is the very concept that a collection of pirates, which they are and theocrats, could actually set up a toll booth in what has heretofore been a freely navigable straight into a place where, you know, 20%, you say 20% of the world's resources. But if oil. But if you look at Europe and you look at Asia, I don't know, it's 75%, 80%. So to even have that conversation is going down a slippery slope. That in showing people that you're even interested in having that conversation, you can't be interested in having that conversation because it's never going to happen. So we don't have time to waste time. Am I wrong in that?

[Sam Faddis]

No, you're absolutely right. It's foundational, right? It's like, okay, we're not having this conversation. I mean, let's look, President Jefferson, when we barely had a Navy and a Marine Corps, established this principle with the Barbary pirates, right? I don't care what the Brits are doing. And the French, they pay you off and ransom their citizens. We don't roll like that. We're gonna, you know, we barely got it. Like I say, we barely got a name, Navy, it doesn't matter. We're coming to get you. And we're going to establish the United States doesn't do this. Are you kidding me? Now we're going to be in 2026 and letting these, as you say, pirates stick us up? That cannot be. Look, we have to win the war. And it has to be perceived that we win the war. I've said very clearly I wouldn't have recommended we start it, nor prosecute it this way, but no, we're in it, man. There's no rewind button. You can't now say we're tired of it and walk away. We have to win.

[Steve Bannon]

Sam, Hang on. I'll just hold you for a minute on the other side to give your coordinates. But you said something. I disagree with how we got here. Folks know that. I disagree with some of the prosecution of it, obviously, but as I've said, you're in a shooting war. You've put American kids in harm's way. And guess what? There are going to be more shooting wars. People have to understand that we don't have a choice. We have to have victory. It's not a choice. We have to have victory. Short commercial break. Back in the room in a moment. Spread the word all through Hong Kong we will fight till they're all gone we rejoice when there's no more let's take down the ccp.

[Trita Parsi]

Here's your host, Stephen K. Band.

[Steve Bannon]

I came, I saw a conquered I hung around a couple more weeks Conquered some more and now we're going to go to the negotiating table on a. We got a ceasefire, right hopefully that holds already. I think there's a bunch of commotion, but who knows the decentralized command. One of the things I keep saying is that who can actually make a deal and enforce a deal? I know one group of people can do it and they live in Beijing. So President Trump scheduled to go. Let's have a big, let's have a big discussion on title all Geopolitics, Taiwan, the Strait of Hormuz, the Middle east, all of it. Sam Faddis, where do people get. You've done amazing work and I know the audience really appreciates you coming on and taking all this time. Where do folks go to get Substack and magazine, all of it.

[Sam Faddis]

And magazine.substack.com and I'm on X and getter and Truth Social is real. Sam Faddis.

[Steve Bannon]

Sam, just real quickly, do you think we ought to skip Islamabad and just go right to Beijing or you think we go through the process? Let's go. We'll go Friday and have this discussion. Or do you like my thing to just say let's go? Sorry about that. Let's just go to Beijing and sit down with a guy can actually make a deal. Xi and enforce a deal, sir, Look,

[Sam Faddis]

I'd go to Islamabad, but I would tell him in advance or the very first thing out of my mouth would be okay. So let's get real. We're not talking about these 10 points, boys. That's nice that you put that out for internal consumption in Iran, but we're not even going to dignify that with a response. Let's start over.

[Steve Bannon]

Sam Faddis, thank you so much. I appreciate you, sir. Trevor Comstock, look, let's finish on an upbeat note today. Look, we're not shooting. Our kids aren't in harm's way this morning. There's a lot to be thankful for. President Trump's going to figure this out. It'll be figured out and we'll cover it nonstop until it's figured out. Like I said, there are things. Let me just repeat this. The threat of this nuclear weapon, these nuclear weapons, and I've been very suspect about the reality of that entire thing. I agree with President Trump. He totally obliterated what they really had back in June. It was time to move on. What Anthropic is telling you and what they're telling you over at Axios in this article today. And we'll have, we'll have Joe and some people up this afternoon to talk about it is 100 times more lethal to this country to you personally. And to this thing called, you know, what we are, it's a Homo sapiens as a species, full stop. And that has to be addressed. It has to be addressed. Now. What's going down in Texas is 10 times more important. It's just 10 times more important. And we need to focus. The opportunity cost of spending time and money and focus on this is killing us. That's what we have to be. We have to grow up and we have to focus what's real and what's important and what is going to stop this country from being the greatest country in the world and bequeathed down to us through, what, 14 generations. We have a massive obligation not simply to the future, but every generation that came before us. And what would they say about us today? Trevor Comstock, you're doing the Lord's work by creating a great company, small company, but a great company. People just love the product. What do you got for us today?

[Trevor Comstock]

Yeah, great to see you, Steve. So I just wanted to highlight our Tallow moisturizer because we have been getting a ton of reviews lately from people letting us know it's been an absolute game changer for their skin, which I'm super happy to hear. And for those who don't know, the Tallow moisturizer is pretty amazing because it's almost identical to the natural oils that your skin produces. So it actually absorbs much more deeply as opposed to just sitting on top of your skin, which unfortunately is the case with a lot of other moisturizers, moisturizers on the market. But then to take a step further, it's also loaded with vitamins like vitamin A, D, E, as well as K, which your skin essentially needs to stay healthy and radiant. And then on top of that, we don't include any synthetic ingredients, no chemicals or anything like that. And I always like to mention too, the product is intended for both men and women. I use it every day on my face. I love it. But it's perfect for things like dry skin, eczema, irritation and just daily hydration. And again, you can use it anywhere on your body, whether it's your face, your hands, your neck, pretty much anywhere that your body intends to use it. So like I said, the reviews have been absolutely phenomenal. A lot of people healing a lot of eczema and just great for overall hydration. So I wanted to just touch on that product.

[Steve Bannon]

Where do people go? I want them to read the reviews coming in. They're amazing, but they also want personal contact with you to be able to send you questions, etc. Where do people go?

[Trevor Comstock]

Yeah, you can go to sacredhumanhealth.com and then you can use code war room for 10 off any one time order. Of course, if you have any questions, you just hit the contact us button. You can reach out to us directly. But yeah, I encourage people to check out the tallow moisturizer. It's been helping a lot of people with daily hydration and just overall skin support.

[Steve Bannon]

Thank you so much, sir. Appreciate you. Mike Lindell. Want to finish on an upbeat today. Want to run through the tape. People have been absorbing a lot of information. Some great news, some. Hey, maybe, maybe less great. What do you got for. Sir, we want a deal. We want a great deal. Only you can do it. What do you got?

[Mike Lindell]

Absolutely, you guys. And by the way, I got a couple. I got a couple big governor events this week. You guys can check that out@mike Lindellgov.com Big rallies and events I'm having myself here in my hometown here in Chaska, Minnesota. We're having one tomorrow night. But anyway, right now, as you all know, we move factories. We have about 20 semis of stuff we're going to ship directly to you. And one of the semis I found is full of the slippers. We're closing out these slippers originally $149.99. I believe we're going to. This is a war room posse exclusive. Once they're gone, they're gone. We're not going to put a limit on it. 29.99 a pair. You're also going to get a free bottle of leather spray that we're. And free shipping on your entire order. So this is a specific product. This will be. Once they're gone, they're gone. So get your size. Now we have. I think it's a little over one semi full that we're just going to do once. Once we're closing out the slippers. That's it. 29.99. This is a wholesale price. This is what our employees pay. We're passing it on to the war room Posse so you get. We don't have to bring it into the fact that factory or bring it shipping it right to your front door for free shipping. If you go to mypillow.com war room there you see the slippers we put on there. You're also gonna see all the other stuff that we have out there that we don't wanna bring in the factory. The, the closeout of our clothing line and these lines that we're closing out that were originally earmarked for the box stores, everybody. So their loss is your gain up to 80% off and the free shipping right to your front door. Remember to take advantage right now while we still have the free shipping for the War Room Posse. It's our mattress toppers and mattresses made in the usa. Those big ticket items cost a lot to ship. Right to you. 800-873-1062. Get a hold of one of my employees now downstairs. And get that free shipping promo code, War Room.

[Steve Bannon]

We'll see you this afternoon, Mike. Thank you. The Charlie Kirk Show's next postos. After that, Steve Gruber, Eric Bowling, and I'll do a transition with Bowling. We're back here five to seven tonight. Ben Harnwell is going to be riding shotgun with me. See you at five o'. Clock.

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