The Beat with Ari Melber (Guest Host: Jason Johnson)

Episode: Trump ally Bannon reveals Trump third term plan

Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode tackles critical and urgent developments in American politics under the Trump administration:

• Steve Bannon’s public claim that Donald Trump has a “third term plan,” upending constitutional norms.
• The retributive use of the Justice Department against political adversaries and high-profile pushback from targets like NY Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
• The controversial demolition of the White House East Wing for a Trump-branded ballroom.
• Escalation of US military intervention in Venezuela and debate over unchecked presidential war powers.
• Intensifying attacks on free speech and protest, including legal battles over First Amendment rights.
• The evolving response from American musicians and protest culture, analyzed by top experts and activists.

Throughout, the episode weaves together legal, ethical, and cultural fallout, featuring expert analysis from Ankush Kardori (former federal prosecutor), Molly Zhang Fass (NYT/MSNBC analyst), Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), and guests directly engaged with protest and free speech.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bannon’s “Trump Third Term” Statement (03:37–04:32)

• Steve Bannon asserts Trump will seek a third term:

  "He's going to get a third term. So Trump 28. Trump is going to be president 28. And people just ought to get accommodated with that." (03:37)

• Host’s Analysis: Bannon claims not only break constitutional precedent but signal emboldened plans for further entrenchment of power.

Expert Reactions:

• Ankush Kardori:

  “The prospect of Trump serving a third term should be out of consideration given the way that the Constitution is structured... this would be extraordinarily unprecedented... I’m not even sure it would work. Trump is extremely unpopular right now.” (04:32)

• Molly Zhang Fass:

  "I would suggest not taking this very seriously... Steve Bannon has been trying to sell this forever... There are all sorts of reasons for Steve Bannon to be pitching this theory, none of which have to do with real life... he is wildly unpopular." (05:41)

Notable Quote:

• Molly Zhang Fass:

  "We all have things we want, but this is one of these things that he's not gonna get. And I think it only helps him to say stuff like this, ‘cause it gets him in front of Trump and Trump likes it and Trump loves a troll, but we have rules and laws and the rest of us have to follow them." (05:41)

2. Retributive DOJ Campaigns and Legal Resistance (02:07–09:28)

Host Recap:

• "New York Attorney General Tish James pleading not guilty to alleged bank fraud charges after being indicted earlier this month by Trump's doj... Most Americans, 52%, think Trump is using the DOJ to file unjustified criminal charges against his perceived political enemies." (00:58–03:37)

AG Letitia James (07:28):

"I will not be deterred. I will not be distracted. Yeah, I will do my job each and every day. And that's why I'm headed back to New York, because there's work to be done." (07:28)

Expert Analysis:

• Ankush Kardori:

  “It is very rare to see... the comments that you just offered from Letitia James. I think they reflect the very conspicuous weakness of the cases against them. I think the odds... that they will result in a conviction seem very low.” (08:06)

• Molly Zhang Fass (re. failed retributive investigations):

  "Trump is a paper tiger. Like, he seems scary, but if you push back peacefully, you win." (09:28)

• Democrats’ approach vs. Trump political attacks; rising political opportunity for targets like James.

Notable Quote:

• Molly Zhang Fass:

  "When you're listening to her, you hear campaign right. Because she knows she is being targeted politically and she should take advantage of this politically." (09:28)

Access to Legal Defense:

• Ankush Kardori:

  "The most prominent people who are the targets are kind of the people we need to worry the least about... But yes, ordinary courts and it can be expensive and there are some sort of alternatives emerging." (11:33)

3. Demolition of White House East Wing & Donor Influence (14:58–19:51)

• News: Trump has leveled the White House East Wing for a $300M privately funded ballroom, with corporate donors reportedly seeking regulatory favors in return.

• Host Reaction:

  "This guy's been taking 15 years to give us a health care plan, but in three and a half days he's demolished half the White House." (15:39)

Analysis:

• Molly Zhang Fass:

  "If you give some money to... fix the ballroom, then maybe you'll get your merger approved... There are all sorts of reasons that corporations give money to this president that are not how any of this is supposed to work." (16:45)

• Administration transparency skepticism:

  "I don't think there's a lot of transparency here... it's worse to get the corporate money than it is if taxpayers paid for it... the idea that he can do stuff like this and again, there's so... it's just... it's such a clear expression of how Donald Trump views the presidency and how he views the White House. Like he doesn't own that house, the taxpayers own that house." (18:35)

Notable Moment (Humor):

• Host:

  "I would love to be at the press conference where the White House confuses the Epstein list with the donor list and reads it out loud." (19:51)

4. Military Escalation in Venezuela & Executive Overreach (21:05–26:33)

• Host Report: Trump has sent the USS Gerald Ford to Venezuela with 10,000 troops, ordering unauthorized strikes and threatening attacks on land—without Congressional approval.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) Analysis:

"Their response is basically, go to hell. I'm the president. I can do whatever I want... This is an authoritarian takeover of the United States government... The President's just exercising the most extreme power possible with no accountability." (23:17)

"We are losing our constitutional republic. And meanwhile, the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has effectively dissolved the United States House of Representatives... The President just gets to do what he wants." (25:23)

Notable Quotes:

• Rep. Adam Smith:

  "Regardless of how you feel about Venezuela or Colombia or cocaine or fentanyl or drugs or anything, you shouldn’t support the president... saying screw you, I'm president. I can kill who I want to kill, and you all just have to live with it." (23:17)

• Host:

  "This is the person who said he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue, and basically most of his supporters wouldn't say anything one way or another." (24:49)

Potential Democratic Strategy:

• Rep. Adam Smith:

  "There’s two parts to [the Democratic message]... One is, this is an authority and takeover of our government... Second, his policies are really hurting us... We understand you weren’t thrilled with the Democratic Party. We have to change... We can’t keep preaching to the choir." (27:06)

5. First Amendment Crackdowns & Dissent Culture (31:57–38:22)

Viral Protest Cases:

• A man detained by FBI for attending an anti-ICE protest, another arrested in a giraffe suit in Portland, and Sam O’Hara detained playing Star Wars “Imperial March” at National Guard.

Legal Analysis:

• Michael Perloff, ACLU:

  "Some cases are hard. This one is easy. This is a straight up First Amendment violation. Government... doesn’t get to decide what’s funny, what’s satire, what’s protests. Those decisions are ours, and this case is about keeping it that way." (35:49)

Sam O’Hara:

• Describes feeling “surreal, dystopian... bad” after being arrested for peaceful protest (34:44)
• About militarization in D.C.:

  “I feel anxious. I feel like I’m living in this made up war zone... to see it being kind of portrayed this way, it’s unreal.” (36:47)

Michael Perloff’s Closing Statement:

“Our goal is to make sure that in the United States of America, people know that they can protest, know that they can call out absurd behavior when they see it... The First Amendment gives you the right to do all of that.” (37:44)

6. Protest Music & Cultural Resistance in the Trump Era (38:35–46:13)

Host: “Are musicians meeting this moment in politics? Is protest music alive?”

Dr. A.D. Carson (UVA Professor, hip hop scholar):

• Believes hip hop is meeting the moment; major protest music is being made, but algorithms, platforms, and social forces make it harder to reach the mainstream:

  "The revolution will also not be featured on a rap caviar playlist... I think that it’s probably us to listen up to what is going on." (41:13)

• Lists numerous contemporary protest artists and albums, says suppression is likely but not total:

  "... since we’ve been here on this continent, folks have always found a way around the kinds of suppression that exists..." (43:05) “I ain’t worried about my safety so much as, you know, like, you stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. I imagine that we can and we have made the kind of music Meet the moment.” (43:05)

On campus repression following DOJ "consent decree":

• Dr. Carson:

  "A lot of it is just, I feel like folks are overwhelmed by the amount of stuff. It’s like... trying to drink from a fire hose." (45:13) "Among faculty and folks that I'm in community with… your head is bloody, but unbowed, you know, you keep going... We know that the cause of education, especially free expression and academic freedom, is a righteous cause." (45:36)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “He’s going to get a third term. So Trump 28...”
  — Steve Bannon (via Congressman Adam Smith), (03:37)

• “The prospect of Trump serving a third term should be out of consideration given the way the Constitution is structured.”
  — Ankush Kardori (04:32)

• “Trump is a paper tiger. Like, he seems scary, but if you push back peacefully, you win.”
  — Molly Zhang Fass (09:28)

• “Their response is basically, go to hell. I’m the president. I can do whatever I want to do... This is an authoritarian takeover of the United States government.”
  — Rep. Adam Smith (23:17)

• “This is a straight up First Amendment violation... The government doesn’t get to decide what’s funny, what’s satire, what’s protest.”
  — Michael Perloff, ACLU (35:49)

• “The revolution will also not be featured on a rap caviar playlist... So I think that it’s probably us to listen up to what is going on.”
  — Dr. A.D. Carson (41:13)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:37 — Bannon/Trump 3rd Term Plan discussion
• 07:28 — AG Letitia James’s defiance outside court
• 14:58 — White House demolition for Trump ballroom
• 21:05 — Venezuela strikes and executive overreach analysis
• 31:57 — Legal battle over protester arrested for Star Wars theme
• 38:35 — Protest music/cultural response with Dr. A.D. Carson

Tone and Language

The tone is urgent, irreverent, and wry—a mix of serious legal and institutional critique with biting humor and cultural commentary. Guests and host alike speak candidly, channeling frustration, righteous indignation, and hope for resistance, as well as an unwavering trust in the power of dissent—legal, political, and artistic.

Bottom Line

This episode presents an unflinching look at what the guests frame as authoritarian drift in America—constitutional norms shattered, opposition targeted, laws bent for vengeance, and cultural resistance developing in parallel. Despite anxiety and danger, the episode foregrounds resistance—by public officials, activists, legal advocates, and artists—and insists on the enduring power and necessity of protest and accountability.