Podcast Summary: THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON, EP.#5136

Podcast: Real America’s Voice (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Stephen K. Bannon
Notable Guests: E.J. Antoni, Brian Glenn, Kurt Mills, Natalie Winters, Rick Santelli

Overview

This episode of "The War Room" with Stephen K. Bannon focuses on three intertwined themes:

• The fallout from attempts to indict members of Congress on seditious conspiracy charges
• A critical and skeptical evaluation of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) employment numbers during the Biden administration
• Developments in Middle East geopolitics, specifically regarding potential U.S. engagement with Iran and Israeli interests

Throughout the episode, Bannon and his guests dissect current events with a combative, populist tone, questioning the integrity of U.S. institutions, decrying political maneuvering in D.C., and highlighting what they frame as the "rigging" of economic data to benefit political opponents. The show is punctuated with pointed commentary on media coverage, critiques of Washington, and warnings about foreign entanglements.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Failed Indictments Against Lawmakers and the State of “Justice” in D.C.

Timestamps: 03:54 - 09:47

• Political Vendettas: Brian Glenn recounts the failed attempt to indict six veteran members of Congress (including Senators Alissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly) for seditious conspiracy, emphasizing that grand juries have repeatedly rejected such efforts. Glenn portrays the Justice Department as politicized and weaponized against dissenters.

  • Quote (Brian Glenn, 05:56): “You tried to get a grand jury to indict six members of Congress...on charges of seditious conspiracy simply for exercising their First Amendment rights.”

• Defense of Democratic Institutions: Slotkin and Kelly deliver emotionally charged statements defending their patriotism and commitment to the Constitution.

  • Quote (Slotkin, 08:44): “Our democracy has been around for 250 years, but it is not guaranteed. It has depended on the willingness of patriotic Americans to fight for it.”
  • Quote (Slotkin, 09:17): “My father taught me two things...right from wrong, and to love this country.”

• Bannon’s Take: Bannon uses the segment to frame the episode as a clash between “the imperial capital” and everyday Americans, insinuating that conservatives cannot get fair trials in D.C.

  • Quote (Bannon, 10:45): “You can’t get justice in Washington, D.C...the imperial capital is a country under siege by the far left.”

2. Critiquing Biden-Era Economic Numbers: The BLS “Scandal”

Timestamps: 14:46 - 41:58

• Bureau of Labor Statistics Controversy:

  • E.J. Antoni claims the BLS overreported job growth under Biden by around 2.5 million jobs, describing systematic downward revisions and arguing that the agency’s errors were not innocent.
    • Quote (Antoni, 16:45): “We essentially just found out today...in Biden's last year, just over half of the supposed job growth...didn’t even exist.”
    • Bannon calls it "one of the worst scandals out there" and equates the statistical alterations to attempts to “steal an election.”

• Comparative Economic Performance:

  • Under Trump, Antoni contends, job growth favors native-born Americans rather than foreign-born, with a private-sector job rebound and a shrinking federal bureaucracy.
    • Quote (Antoni, 36:49): “In Trump's first year...almost all of the net job growth is going to native born Americans, not foreign born workers. It’s exactly the opposite of what we saw under Biden.”
    • Antoni praises the drop in trade and economic deficits under Trump and claims Americans’ real wages are rising again.

• Calls for Accountability:

  • Antoni and Bannon insist the only way to stop recurring data manipulation is to “reform the civil service,” expanding presidential powers to fire career employees.
    • Quote (Antoni, 31:31): “We need the kinds of reforms going to allow him [Trump] to reform the civil service...He needs to be able to fire a lot more of these people.”

• Media Critique:

  • Bannon and Glenn mock White House press briefings, deriding outlets for not giving positive coverage to improving economic data and accusing legacy media of complicity.

3. Middle East Tensions: The Trump-Netanyahu Meeting & the Iran Dilemma

Timestamps: 21:30 - 54:47

• Netanyahu’s Visit and War or Peace Decisions:

  • Brian Glenn offers details on Israeli PM Netanyahu’s secretive White House visit; discussion focuses on whether President Trump will seek a deal with Iran—or pivot to military action (tentatively dubbed “Midnight Hammer 2.0”).
    • Quote (Brian Glenn, 21:30): “President Trump did in fact suggest...if that was not possible then he would go to option number two and referenced Midnight Hammer.”
    • Bannon elaborates on the military preparations and growing pressure for a kinetic option if diplomacy fails.

• Regional Reluctance for War:

  • Kurt Mills explains that Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE, etc.)—once the driving force for Iran hawkishness—now strongly oppose a new regional war, fearing economic and humanitarian disaster.
    • Quote (Mills, 42:43): “The region [is] basically united against a new war. They know it'll be very ugly...it’s pretty easy [for Iran] to close the Strait of Hormuz...that could very well spike the price of oil, 10, 20, $30 immediately.”

• Trump's Calculations & the Israeli Factor:

  • Mills contends that Trump is under pressure from Netanyahu but remains wary of deepening U.S. entanglement, especially since Gulf states are lobbying against conflict.
    • Quote (Mills, 54:47): “There aren’t strong military moves on Iran...The President of the United States has been very clear that he is not attracted to regime change, boots-on-the-ground type operations.”

4. Regime Change “Revolution Consultants” & Domestic Activism

Timestamps: 54:47 - 57:26

• Natalie Winters’ Report:

  • Winters introduces “Revolution Consultants”—NGOs like CANVAS, funded by USAID and Open Society—which train activists in protest and regime change tactics. She expresses alarm that these tactics, originally used abroad, are now being adapted within U.S. universities and protest movements.
    • Quote (Winters, 54:59): “They focus on destabilizing governments. And the key here is that they're USAID funded, they're foreign, and they're using these USAID style tactics bringing them to the United States.”

• Linking Foreign & Domestic Upheaval:

  • Bannon draws a line between foreign regime change operations and domestic protests in the U.S., suggesting that the “real fight” is at home against these intertwined influences.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Rick Santelli on booming economic numbers:

  • (02:32 / 35:36, paraphrased): “All the investment gurus out there jump in the markets. US GDP is taking a big ramp up and the US is leading the way.”

• Sen. Alissa Slotkin on defending democracy:

  • (08:44) “Our democracy has been around for 250 years, but it is not guaranteed…we’re just the first through the breach, but you'll be damn sure that we are not going to back down.”

• Bannon’s signature populist rallying cry:

  • (09:47) “This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies, because we're going medieval on these people…If that answer is to save my country, this country will be saved.”

• E.J. Antoni, on BLS data manipulation:

  • (29:42) “Why did E.J. get selected by President Trump to be the head of BLS? And it was Murkowski and Susan Collins…who tanked that?...They were taking false economic data that they knew to be false and they were weaponizing this in a political context.”

• Kurt Mills, on regional attitude to Iran:

  • (43:57) “If anything, the UAE and Saudi Arabia were the driving force for Iran hawkishness more than Israel seven years ago. So it's a major shift…the region basically united against a new war.”

• Natalie Winters, on US-backed activism at home:

  • (54:59) "They're using these USAID style tactics, bringing them to the United States...They're teaching students and activists how to protest with online tactics and tools, including books like Blueprint for Revolution."

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Opening, failed indictments, DOJ critique | 02:32–09:47 | | Bannon on justice in D.C., Biden’s economic “scandal” | 10:45–16:31 | | E.J. Antoni on BLS numbers, jobs, and accountability | 14:46–41:58 | | Netanyahu’s visit, Iran war or diplomacy, Gulf states view | 21:30–54:47 | | CANVAS, domestic activism, regime change funding | 54:47–57:26 | | Closing, key takeaways, promo codes | 57:26–End |

Summary and Tone

This episode underscores Bannon’s trademark fusion of economic populism, institutional skepticism, and uncompromising critique of what he casts as the entrenched “regime.” The panelists are assertive and at times conspiratorial in tone, especially regarding economic reporting and perceived efforts to delegitimize or target conservative figures and perspectives.

Listeners are left with a sense of urgency: institutions are corrupt, the stakes (from jobs to war) are existential, and meaningful reform—especially in government and media—depends on “real Americans” standing up to what Bannon calls “the regime.”

Recommended for:
Anyone seeking insight into MAGA-aligned populist perspectives on current U.S. politics, with particular attention to economic statistics, justice system controversies, and complex geopolitical maneuvering involving Iran and Israel.