Podcast Summary

Real America’s Voice: THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON

Episode #4850 — October 14, 2025
Host: Stephen K. Bannon with guests Cleo Paskal, Ben Harnwell

Episode Overview

This episode of THE WAR ROOM with Stephen K. Bannon delivers a combative and urgent analysis of the global state of affairs from the perspective of American conservative populism. Bannon’s focus is on the United States' confrontation with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the strategic importance of hemispheric and Pacific defense, ongoing U.S. involvement in Ukraine, and the broader threats facing American sovereignty and identity. The episode features guest insights, notably from Cleo Paskal (on U.S. naval history, the Central Pacific, and geopolitical strategy) and Ben Harnwell (on Ukraine, NATO, and escalation with Russia), all underpinned by criticism of elite-driven globalism and strong support for former President Donald Trump.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Strategic Flashpoints: White House Events & Hemispheric Defense

• Bannon opens with a rapid rundown of the day's White House events, emphasizing Argentine President Milei’s visit for discussions on a U.S. currency bailout and the unwinding of Argentina-CCP deals. (00:06)
• The “hemispheric defense” concept links U.S. interests in the Americas to global strategic contests, with Argentina and Ukraine highlighted as key battlegrounds alongside contestation with China.
  • Quote: “Argentina is central to the hemispheric defense... Over all of that is the Chinese Communist Party now at direct economic warfare with the United States. And they're not hiding.” (11:54)

2. The Centrality of the Pacific and Naval Power

• Bannon and Paskal analyze the enduring relevance of the Pacific in U.S. defense strategy, drawing historical parallels to World War II and the crucial fights for Pacific islands.
• Paskal highlights the lack of public understanding regarding American territories in the Pacific, stressing the vulnerability and patriotism of Americans in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands:
  • Quote (Cleo Paskal): “There are Americans who live an eight-hour flight west of Hawaii and a four-hour flight east of Taiwan. Are they any less American than any other Americans? … They know that they're on the front line.” (25:59)
• The importance of the U.S. Navy is emphasized, including its legacy and current efforts to deter adversaries in Asian waters.
  • Quote (Paskal): “If a hostile foreign power controls the center of the Pacific, the US isn't safe.” (22:01)

3. War with the CCP: Economic, Psychological, and ‘Unrestricted’ Warfare

• Bannon outlines the CCP’s long-term technocratic ambitions (AI, biotech, quantum computing) and claims their approach is modeled on “unrestricted warfare”—economic, psychological, and institutional subversion.
• Bannon frames fentanyl and TikTok as deliberate Chinese CCP attempts to erode U.S. strength:
  • Quote (Bannon): “They've killed hundreds of thousands of Americans through fentanyl. They're getting people to destroy themselves through TikTok.” (43:54)
  • Quote (Cleo Paskal): “There's no fentanyl problem in China just like there's no TikTok problem in China. This is to destroy the United States from the inside.” (45:01)
• Continues to call for “decoupling” from China both for moral and practical reasons.
  • “The central thing we've had to do... is what we have to decouple from that brutal regime.” (09:28)

4. Escalation in Ukraine and Global War Risks

• Ben Harnwell discusses Zelensky's requests for U.S. Tomahawk missiles, the potential for dramatic escalation, and the unsettled boundaries of U.S. intervention.
• Points out the dangerous ambiguity and precedent involved in providing Ukraine with strike capability against targets deep inside Russia:
  • Quote (Bannon): "Give me the target list and we'll see if we can do target acquisition. … This is so brazen that we really get sucked into this.” (34:00)
  • Quote (Ben Harnwell): “If President Trump supplies these Tomahawks to Ukraine, we're no longer on... that's where the momentum is going. That's where the inertia is going.” (39:22, 40:18)

5. American Will and Civilizational Stakes

• Bannon consistently stresses that America's security and even civilization itself are at stake in these contests:
  • "If we didn't have Trump, we wouldn't have a country. That's why I say he's in the same level as Lincoln and General Washington, because he is. This is the age of Trump.” (16:49)
  • Urges listeners to stay engaged and not to quit: “If we don't quit, we'll win. If you quit, I guarantee you we won't win." (17:47)

6. Calls to Action & Legacy

• Cleo Paskal closes with a passionate call to remember fellow Americans in the Pacific, and to honor the legacy of U.S. military sacrifice:
  • Quote (Paskal): “For today, in honor of the men's department, I would say don't go to me. Go to the amphibious tractor memorial.com site. Those are the men who got the 100,000 or so across the reef. ... Go see them.” (45:27)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Bannon on the ongoing 'unrestricted warfare' with China:
  "What they did the other day is an act of war, just is—it's an act of war, economic war. ... They have infiltrated the institutions of the United States of America, including, and most particularly our education system." (05:43)
• Bannon on existential stakes:
  "If we didn't have Trump, we wouldn't have a country. ... This is the age of Trump." (16:49)
• Cleo Paskal on the Americans in the Pacific:
  "Are they any less American than any other Americans?...they know that they're on the front line." (25:59)
• Bannon on kinetic vs. non-kinetic warfare:
  "We are in a kinetic war with the Chinese Communist Party. They've killed hundreds of thousands of Americans through fentanyl. They're getting people to destroy themselves through TikTok." (43:54)
• Paskal on Chinese asymmetric strategy:
  "There's no fentanyl problem in China just like there's no TikTok problem in China. This is to destroy the United States from the inside." (45:01)
• Ben Harnwell on potential U.S. escalation in Ukraine:
  "If President Trump supplies these Tomahawks to Ukraine, ... that's where the momentum is going. That's where the inertia is going.” (39:22, 40:18)

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Opening Statements & Today’s White House Events (00:06–04:00)
• CCP, Unrestricted Warfare, and U.S. Decoupling Strategy (04:00–11:50)
• U.S. Naval History and Strategic Importance of the Pacific — Cleo Paskal (12:24–23:10)
• Discussion on the Legacy of Pacific War and Insular Territories (23:10–26:47)
• Ukraine, Tomahawk Missiles, and the Risk of Escalation — Ben Harnwell (32:16–40:44)
• Kinetic vs Non-Kinetic War with CCP (Fentanyl, TikTok) — Cleo Paskal & Bannon (43:52–45:20)
• Closing Calls to Action (45:20–46:12)

Tone and Language

• Pugnacious, urgent, and often conspiratorial.
• Frequent historical analogies to frame current events as vital existential struggles.
• Strong valorization of Trump’s leadership and dismissal of opponents as existential threats.
• Guest commentary is serious, with frequent references to historical sacrifice and national duty.