THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON (EP. 5025) – December 26, 2025

Podcast: Real America’s Voice | Host: Raheem Kassam (guest hosting for Stephen K. Bannon)

Overview:

This Boxing Day edition of "The War Room" shifts the focus from its usual hard-hitting political commentary to the intersection of politics and culture in post-Trump Washington, D.C. Guest host Raheem Kassam takes listeners inside the social and culinary world that has arisen around the MAGA movement, with particular attention to Butterworths, a new Capitol Hill establishment. Through reflections, interviews, and some vivid storytelling, the episode explores how populist ideas are shaping not just politics but also food, hospitality, and cultural venues in the nation’s capital.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Butterworths: More Than a “MAGA Hangout”

• Origins and Mission:

  • Kassam describes Butterworths as a political and cultural melting pot on Capitol Hill, refuting its reduction to a mere “MAGA bar.”
  • “All sorts of people come through those doors … You were one of those people, once upon a time at least, staring through the windows of this place.” (Raheem Kassam, 22:58)

• Cultural Significance:

  • Butterworths aims to elevate underwhelming local dining, celebrating American and regional food traditions in a sophisticated way.
  • Chef Bart Hutchins, a self-described former Democrat and populist, is credited with creating a gathering spot that transcends political labels.
  • “The politics of America [are] changing rapidly ... The dining establishment from the Roman Empire till now is a sort of populist thing. Right. This is not a private club ... Anybody who wants to come eat and drink can come here.” (Bart Hutchins, 26:58)

• Populism in Hospitality:

  • The lines between left and right, especially among critics, blur inside the walls of Butterworths.
  • “The left-right thing is getting destroyed. It really is. Like, are you part of this ruling class, or are you not? And we're all going to find ourselves together ... if we don't win.” (Bart Hutchins, 28:45)

2. The Trump Kennedy Center & Cultural “Takeover”

• Restoration and Events:

  • Kassam offers a behind-the-scenes look at how the Trump-named Kennedy Center is reclaiming its role as a “people’s institution.”
  • Vignettes from events—such as the FIFA World Cup draw and Opera in the Outfield at Nationals Park—underscore a populist reclamation of grand cultural spaces.
  • “I think it's so important that we help restore that once great cultural institution to greatness.” (Raheem Kassam, 5:33)

• Cultural Renewal as Political Strategy:

  • The episode touches on the broader goal: populists/maga-aligned figures must dominate not just politics but culture itself.
  • “It is imperative that in addition to dominating the politics, MAGA learns to dominate the culture, too.” (Raheem Kassam, 48:52)

3. Food, Nationalism, and Agency

• Farm-to-Table Radicalism:

  • Butterworths prioritizes local sourcing, traditional preparation, and food that celebrates American (and especially regional) roots.
  • “We work with local farmers within 200 miles ... If something has to get on an airplane, we're not selling it ... They taste significantly better because they're not dead and they're not sitting in a thing.” (Bart Hutchins, 30:13)

• Cultural Resistance Through Cuisine:

  • Sourcing, preparation, and even methods of frying (using beef tallow, not seed oils) are framed as expressions of American agency and resistance to globalization.
  • “They [corporations] did it to strip us of our way of life … This is a very specific way of eating we have had to do some education on.” (Bart Hutchins, 31:58)

• Nationalist Pride—But Not Jingoism:

  • The idea is not exclusionary, but pride in American products and traditions—“like the French,” who are uncompromising about their food.
  • “If you want good food, do I need a little nationalism in my politics? Maybe because that's what good food is … They [the French] will not find a Frenchman eating a steak from Spain to save your life … But you will not find a Frenchman eating a steak from Spain to save your life.” (Bart Hutchins, 41:09)

4. Butterworths in the Crosshairs: Protests and Media Spotlight

• Resistance from Left-Leaning Activists:

  • The restaurant has become a focal point for protests, which Kassam frames as proof they’re making an impact.
  • Kassam vividly narrates a day surrounded by protesters and police outside Butterworths, injecting humor and defiance.
  • “The fact that the restaurant gets protested is a sign that we are getting under their skin and it makes more and more people come to Butterworth…” (Raheem Kassam, 48:15)

• Media Irony:

  • Despite being trashed in some left-leaning press for its clientele and associations, Butterworths receives rave critical reviews for its food from outlets like the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.
  • “In fact, you have rave reviews from the New York Times Magazine, from the Washington Post, from virtually … from the Wall Street Journal, front page, right?” (Raheem Kassam, 38:29)

5. Populist Fragmentation & the Need for Unity

• Call for Movement-Wide Civility:
  • As the podcast draws to a close, Kassam reflects on infighting and drama within the online conservative/MAGA community, calling for greater unity and a focus on the true adversaries.
  • “We can choose at this point in time to keep fighting each other ... or we can do a little better at treating one another ... That is what the left wants. They want us fighting amongst each other ... the left can't actually win without us letting them win, without us tearing ourselves apart.” (Raheem Kassam, 53:44)

6. Grassroots Funding & Independent Media

• Contrast to Left-Wing Funding Ecosystem:
  • Kassam explains why populist media outlets like The National Pulse rely on crowdfunding, unlike the left’s billion-dollar institutional backstops.
  • “When we relaunched thenationalpulse.com ... we— from the outset— took a decision for that website to be crowdfunded, because strings come attached to big checks. Always has been the case, always will be the case.” (Raheem Kassam, 54:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Ask yourself, what is my task and what is my purpose? If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.”
— Bart Hutchins (03:39)

“If you look around, the Capitol is right down the street ... mainly what they have to eat ... is like a hamburger place and like a taco place. I found that just incredibly embarrassing ... when you think about a country that has its own culture … one of the first things you have to figure out how to do is eat.”
— Bart Hutchins (23:34)

“These are things our grandparents ate … like the oyster thing ... you could survive just off grabbing oysters out of the bay long enough to get a job and become an American.”
— Bart Hutchins (37:07)

“The French are renowned for their good food and … they've never imported food, ever. And nobody thinks of them as … far right, but you will not find a Frenchman eating a steak from Spain to save your life … Americans never have [had that pride].”
— Bart Hutchins (41:09)

“We are at this crossroads in the conservative movement ... we can choose at this point in time to keep fighting each other ... or we can do a little better at treating one another ... the left can't actually win without us letting them win, without us tearing ourselves apart.”
— Raheem Kassam (53:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:55 – Raheem Kassam introduces Butterworths and the episode’s cultural focus.
• 05:33 – Reflections on Trump Kennedy Center and its cultural significance.
• 10:50 – Opera in the Outfield and community events at Nationals Park.
• 21:21 – Deep-dive interview starts with executive chef Bart Hutchins about Butterworth’s origins and purposes.
• 26:58 – Populism, the evolution of American politics, and culinary culture.
• 30:13 – Philosophy of food sourcing and American cuisine as political and cultural resistance.
• 37:07 – American food traditions: oysters, bone marrow, and the anti-waste philosophy.
• 38:29 – Media recognition for Butterworths despite political labeling.
• 41:09 – Nationalism, pride in American products and culinary identity.
• 48:15 – Protests and the response—bold, tongue-in-cheek, and defiant.
• 48:52 – The importance of cultural dominance alongside political efforts.
• 53:44 – Kassam’s closing reflections on unity, civility, and movement strategy.
• 54:46 – The economics of independent, populist media and fundraising call to action.

Episode Tone & Style

The episode leans heavily into a conversational, sometimes irreverent tone, using humor and storytelling to underscore serious points about the populist movement’s ambitions and obstacles. Both Kassam and Hutchins display self-awareness about stereotypes and divisions in Washington, but champion a vision of cultural renewal that combines culinary excellence, political engagement, and unapologetic patriotism.