Real America’s Voice: War Room with Stephen K. Bannon – December 8, 2025 (Ep. 4981)

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode of “The War Room with Steve Bannon” explores a blend of historical reflection and modern geopolitical analysis, centering on the legacy of Pearl Harbor and its relevance to contemporary U.S. military and foreign policy challenges—specifically, the threats posed by China and the turmoil in Europe. The episode also features commentary on domestic issues, from election integrity debates to the weaponization of government and threats to democracy abroad, and interviews with key voices on these topics.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Pearl Harbor: Lessons for Today’s Geopolitics

Timestamps: 02:37 – 17:35; 19:01 – 33:12

• The show marks the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, using historical audio including FDR’s “day of infamy” speech to anchor a segment on the consequences of intelligence failures and national unpreparedness.
• Steve Bannon and guest Captain Jim Fennell (former U.S. Naval Intelligence, Pacific Fleet) analyze the strategic failures that led to Pearl Harbor and draw parallels to modern security threats.
  • Bannon underscores the notion that “this is still one of the great unsolved mysteries in American history and it’s quite important to where we are today” (14:52).
  • Fennell delves into the limitations and mismanagement in intelligence sharing before the attack, noting the fragmented nature of U.S. intelligence then vs. now.

    “You have to remember, in May of 1940 we moved the Pacific Fleet from San Diego to Pearl Harbor... At that time the intelligence community of the United States was not like it is today.” – Captain Fennell (15:35)

Memorable Quotes:

• “Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.” – Steve Bannon (02:47)

2. Modern Security Threats: China’s Navy and U.S. Readiness

Timestamps: 21:01 – 30:59

• Bannon credits Fennell for “giving up his career to warn the people of the United States about the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and particularly their Navy” (21:01).
• Fennell delivers a dire assessment of U.S. preparedness:

  “We have been in a crisis inside our nation and our Navy when it comes to being prepared for war at sea from an adversary that has built a navy to beat us in a war at sea.” (25:55)

  • He critiques the administration’s push for unmanned drones instead of new capital ships, emphasizing the threat from China’s expanding naval presence surrounding Taiwan and Japan.
  • Bannon presses Fennell on whether the U.S. could face a naval conflict with China in the next 5–10 years:

    “If the Chinese Communist Party is unable to get the island of Taiwan to kowtow to them... then I believe that they will use military force.” – Captain Fennell (29:41)

Key Takeaways:

• Failure to plan and build sufficient naval capability could leave the U.S. and its allies vulnerable in the Pacific. Fennell references the strategic moves that preceded WWII and calls for urgent action today.

3. The Aftermath of Pearl Harbor: Blame, Inquiries, and Policy Change

Timestamps: 33:12 – 35:06

• Bannon reviews the scrambling that took place in D.C. after the attack, noting the “massive cover your ass exercise” among leaders fearing blame for the disaster (33:44).
• He suggests the strategic decisions made set the “framework for the rest of the 20th century and for a lot of the 21st century,” tying this legacy directly to ongoing debates over national security priorities.

4. U.S. Domestic Politics: The Tina Peters Case & Election Integrity

Timestamps: 35:06 – 46:18

• Bannon discusses the imprisonment of Tina Peters, described as a “political prisoner” and Gold Star mother in Colorado, with her lawyer Peter Tickton.

• Tickton advances the case that the 2020 election was “definitely stolen,” linking it to broader global threats (“Venezuelans... are exporting their ability to use machines to cheat in elections to 72 different countries” – 37:59).

• He outlines a potential challenge to the constitutionality of state-level pardons, predicting a confrontation that could go to the U.S. Supreme Court if Trump issues a presidential pardon for Peters.

  “Step one is the president to pardon Tina Peters, right? To give her a pardon. That is the thing that sets everything else in motion, right?” – Steve Bannon (42:19) “It’s never been adjudicated anywhere.” – Peter Tickton (42:13)

• Tickton expresses confidence that a Supreme Court with an originalist majority would side with their argument.

5. Weaponization of Government & Clemency Projects

Timestamps: 47:36 – 49:59

• Cynthia Hughes, of the Patriot Freedom Project, introduces Weaponization Watch, an initiative to fight for clemency for those “languishing behind bars” due to alleged government overreach, with emphasis on political prisoners from the current and past administrations.

  “We’re going to turn this into the biggest clemency project in this country.” – Cynthia Hughes (47:48)

• She offers details on how to participate in their NYC event and follow their ongoing work.

6. Europe’s Political Crisis: Threats to Democracy in Germany

Timestamps: 50:11 – 54:14

• Bannon and Beatrice von Storch (Alternative for Germany, AfD) react to a Washington Post article on potential banning of AfD, Germany’s ascendant right-wing party.
  • Von Storch characterizes government discussion of a ban as “anti democratic” and a threat to the concept of Western democracy itself:

    “If that’s possible in Germany, that’s going to be possible everywhere... It is very much against everything what you’re fighting for.” – Beatrice von Storch (52:44)

  • She identifies the party’s three main positions deemed extremist: border security, rolling back Islamization, and defense of free speech.

  “First, we want to secure our borders. Second, we want to stop Islamization in our country. More precise, we want to roll it back... Third, we are very much in favor of free speech. We do not think that censorship is a way which should be allowed.” (53:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Primal Scream of a Dying Regime:
  “This is the primal scream of a dying regime... Pray for our enemies because we’re going medieval on these people.” – Steve Bannon (02:37)
• Pearl Harbor Reflections:
  “Yesterday, December 7, 1941... a date which will live in infamy...” – Franklin D. Roosevelt (11:16)
• China’s Naval Challenge: “If we don’t have big capital ships to fight a war at sea, we are going to end up having the PLA Navy rolling through the Hawaiian Islands and onto our west coast because that’s the navy that the Chinese Communist Party has built over the last 25 years.” – Captain Fennell (27:47)
• Election Integrity and Pardon Power: “When you steal an election, you don’t steal an election, you steal the country. And that’s why this is the largest crime that's ever occurred in the United States.” – Peter Tickton (36:55)
• Democracy and Extremism in Europe:
  “The only solution they can think of is ban the opposition party to save democracy, which is a joke.” – Beatrice von Storch (51:16)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:37] – Bannon opens the substantive show, framing the episode’s themes
• [08:37 – 13:48] – Historic Pearl Harbor audio and FDR’s speech
• [14:06 – 17:24] – Captain Fennell explains intelligence issues around Pearl Harbor
• [21:01 – 29:41] – Discussion of China’s naval power and U.S. strategic response
• [35:06 – 46:18] – Interview: Peter Tickton on Tina Peters and presidential pardon strategy
• [47:36 – 49:59] – Cynthia Hughes introduces Weaponization Watch and the clemency push
• [50:11 – 54:14] – Beatrice von Storch on the threatened banning of AfD in Germany

Speaker Attribution Table (Selected Highlights)

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Paraphrase | |-----------|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:47 | Steve Bannon | “Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose?...” | | 15:35 | Captain Jim Fennell | Contextualizes U.S. intelligence shortfalls before Pearl Harbor | | 25:55 | Captain Jim Fennell | “We have been in a crisis... when it comes to being prepared for war at sea...” | | 29:41 | Captain Jim Fennell | Predicts China may use force for Taiwan in 5–10 years | | 36:55 | Peter Tickton | “You don’t steal an election, you steal the country...” | | 51:16 | Beatrice von Storch | “The only solution they can think of is ban the opposition party to save democracy, which is a joke.” |

Conclusion

This episode provides a broad survey of threats to American security, sovereignty, and democracy, both domestically and abroad, tracing direct lines from historical events like Pearl Harbor to current confrontations with China and the erosion of democratic norms in Europe. Guests Captain Jim Fennell, Peter Tickton, Cynthia Hughes, and Beatrice von Storch anchor the political discussion in both pressing present-day realities and the consequential lessons of the past.