Podcast Summary: The REAL REASON Trump Called Off Iran Bombing Explained By Steve Bannon!

The Jimmy Dore Show
Host: Jimmy Dore
Guests: Max Blumenthal, Scott Ritter
Date: January 19, 2026

Overview

This episode dives deep into the rumored and abrupt climb-down by President Trump from imminent US military action against Iran. Jimmy Dore, accompanied by investigative journalist Max Blumenthal and former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter, explores the real motivations behind Trump’s restraint, the influences of Israel, the deep state’s continuity across administrations, and the coordinated media campaign for war. The conversation also dissects the state of Iranian protests, the US/Israel-Saudi relationship, and the propaganda narratives sold to the public.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Lindsey Graham’s Warmongering and Trump’s Abrupt Reversal

• Opening Segment (00:51 – 03:53)

  • Lindsey Graham makes impassioned pro-intervention statements, supporting Iranian protesters and threatening the Ayatollah with direct force (01:16).
    • Quote: “Donald J. Trump is not Barack Obama. He has your back... If you keep killing your people... Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.” (01:16 - Lindsey Graham)
  • Jimmy Dore blasts the contradictions: “If you don’t stop killing your people, we’re going to have to go over there and start killing your people…” (01:44)

• Trump’s Climb-down (02:57; 03:53)

  • Trump reportedly notifies Iran (via the Pakistani channel) that he won’t attack, despite previous threats fueled by internal and external pressure.
  • Graham shifts from “raging” for war to damage control, emphasizing military resolve but lamenting Trump's decision.

2. Max Blumenthal on the Orchestration Behind Iran Protests

• Weaponized Unrest and Media Manipulation (03:53 – 09:36)

  • Max contextualizes the Iranian protests as heavily coordinated, not solely organic, and compares them to the early Syrian conflict’s so-called “protests.”
    • Quote: “These rioters murdering unarmed guards, security guards in the street, burning down mosques, burning banks. It’s a lot of what we saw at the beginning of the Syrian dirty war…” (05:15 - Max Blumenthal)
  • Describes how US and Israeli signals, through statements and covert support, emboldened escalation, expecting US intervention in the vein of Syria and Libya.
  • Trump was “goaded” into promising help to Iranian protesters by Israeli cutouts and hawks like Graham.
  • Trump received intelligence (primarily from Israel) indicating lack of US readiness and depleted Israeli missile defenses, leading to the pause.

• Notable Insight: The “protests” were portrayed via media as organic, but evidence points toward significant foreign influence and objectives paralleling earlier regime-change operations.

3. The Real Drivers: Israel, Billionaires & The “Special Relationship”

• Trump’s Political Calculus and Donor Pressures (10:29 – 14:40)

  • Max notes Trump is heavily bankrolled by pro-Israel billionaires like Miriam Adelson, who openly demand regime change in Iran as the price for their support.
    • Quote: “That’s the bargain, that’s the deal. Miriam Adelson’s late husband… actually called for a nuclear bomb to be dropped on Iran...” (11:10 - Max Blumenthal)
  • Netanyahu’s leverage over Trump is even stronger than it was over George W. Bush during the Iraq War push.

• Iran’s Strategic Significance (15:24 – 19:42)

  • Iran is identified as the last robust opponent to the US-Israeli regional agenda and a leader of “the axis of resistance.”
    • Quote: “There’s only one country that has this obsession… Only Israel wants this. That’s the only reason we’re doing this...” (18:13 - Max Blumenthal)
  • Even Saudi Arabia, despite sectarian divides, opposes a US attack because of the potential for regional destabilization.

4. Steve Bannon’s Take and Bannon-Tucker “Antiwar” Faction (20:23 – 26:30)

• Bannon credits Trump for demanding proof that bombing would truly collapse the Iranian regime, spinning the climbdown as a snub to “Bibi and the Israel-first crowd.”
  • Quote (Bannon): “This is a full facial... a complete repudiation of these people who wanted to go to war with Iran.” (21:20)
• Max Blumenthal adds that Bannon and the Tucker Carlson faction are strategically giving Trump cover to back down, while emphasizing that regime change is nowhere near imminent due to broad regime support.
• Western media ignore the massive pro-government demonstrations in Iran, obscuring the unlikelihood of the regime’s collapse through pressure alone.

5. Deep State, the FBI, and Political Continuity Across Administrations (29:33 – 45:56)

• Scott Ritter’s Harassment and “Debanking” by the FBI (29:33 – 34:27)

  • Ritter details how he was targeted by suspicious activity reports and banking restrictions due to his antiwar advocacy and travel to Russia.
  • He connects such tactics to the US government’s handling of political dissidents and journalists post-January 6.

• Continuity of the Deep State (36:44 – 41:32)

  • Ritter argues there’s little substantive difference between Biden’s and Trump’s FBI, citing persistent deep state control and Trump’s inability or unwillingness to challenge this bureaucratic block.
  • Quote: “Donald Trump is deep state. He’s not to be trusted... he doesn’t believe in law... he only believes in his own sense of morality.” (34:27 - Scott Ritter)

• The conversation draws out the pattern of political leaders (including Trump) being compromised by intelligence agencies, both domestic (FBI) and foreign (Mossad), resulting in a consistent pro-war, pro-interventionist US foreign policy regardless of party.

6. Media Propaganda and Manufactured Consent (46:08 – 52:13)

• Pro-war Media Messaging

  • The BBC and US outlets are highlighted as massive purveyors of pro-war propaganda, echoing state talking points and blaming Iran for US aggression.
    • Quote: “War is as imminent as the propaganda memo says it is.” (46:38 - Jimmy Dore)
  • Max discusses the impact of BBC Persia and Iran International in fomenting discontent and violence inside Iran, acting as destabilization tools for foreign powers.

• Public Perception

  • Despite the scale and reach of propaganda, Max believes a segment of the population is increasingly aware and resistant, seeking out alternative, critical perspectives.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• Lindsey Graham's Threats:
  “Donald J. Trump is not Barack Obama. He has your back... if you keep killing your people… Donald J. Trump is going to kill you.” (01:16 - Lindsey Graham)
• Max on US Goading Iranian Protesters:
  “Trump was goaded... into issuing a message to the so-called protesters in Iran at the time that Lindsey Graham was doing the same, telling them help was on the way.” (04:42 - Max Blumenthal)
• Blumenthal on Israeli Influence:
  “Miriam Adelson’s late husband... actually called for a nuclear bomb to be dropped on Iran...” (11:10 - Max Blumenthal)
• Scott Ritter on Deep State Harassment:
  “It’s a huge harassment. Tomorrow’s the 15th. Bills get paid on the 15th, and they ain’t getting paid because I don’t have any money.” (32:09 - Scott Ritter)
• Ritter on Trump and the Deep State:
  “Donald Trump is deep state. He’s not to be trusted... he only believes in his own sense of morality.” (34:27 - Scott Ritter)
• Max on BBC’s Propaganda Role:
  “The BBC... is there to cultivate elite opinion and it is an important propaganda weapon inside Iran…BBC Persia is a Farsi channel and I watched it by satellite when I was in Iran.” (48:38 - Max Blumenthal)

Important Timestamps

• 00:51 – 03:53: Lindsey Graham’s statements; Trump’s reversal
• 03:53 – 09:36: Max Blumenthal on manufactured protests & regional realities
• 10:29 – 15:24: Israeli/Adelson/Netanyahu influence over Trump
• 20:23 – 26:30: Steve Bannon’s interpretation of Trump’s Iran climbdown
• 29:33 – 36:44: Scott Ritter on FBI harassment, deep state continuity
• 46:08 – 52:13: The scope and goals of Western media propaganda

Tone and Style

The episode is fiery, skeptical, and laced with sharp comic jabs (particularly from Jimmy Dore). Max Blumenthal delivers deep analysis with an investigative, critical edge. Scott Ritter offers insider detail with a no-nonsense, sometimes somber assessment of state power. The discourse is blunt, cynical about government, and anti-interventionist.

Conclusion

This episode of The Jimmy Dore Show thoroughly deconstructs the motives and false narratives surrounding US-Iran tensions, highlighting Israel’s pivotal influence, the continuity of deep state control regardless of party, and the persistent role of propaganda in manufacturing support for war. Listeners are urged to question mainstream accounts and recognize the underlying interests driving US foreign policy in the Middle East.