Speaking to a packed room of conservative activists in Washington on Wednesday, Steve Bannon — the former chief strategist to President Donald J. Trump — reportedly delivered a stark warning about the stakes of the coming elections, saying Democrats would not hesitate to use their power to punish their political opponents.
“If we lose the midterms, if we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison — myself included,” Bannon said at an event hosted by the Conservative Partnership Institute. “They’re not gonna stop. They are getting more and more and more radical. And we have to counter that. And what do we have to counter it with? We have to counter it with more action, more intense action, more urgency. We’re burning daylight.”
His comments came a day after Democrats celebrated victories in a string of key races across the country, including gubernatorial contests in Virginia and New Jersey and a California referendum that could add five more Democratic congressional seats. The results have buoyed Democratic hopes heading into the 2026 midterm elections and, ultimately, the 2028 presidential race.
Bannon’s remarks reflected a growing belief among many conservatives that Democratic control of Washington would bring a new wave of prosecutions and political retribution. His own history has made him a symbol of that concern. Last year, he served a four-month prison sentence after being convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify before the House committee investigating the events of January 6. He later pleaded guilty to defrauding donors to his “We Build the Wall” campaign but avoided further jail time through a plea agreement. Federal charges from the same case were dismissed after President Trump pardoned him in January 2021.
Still, Bannon has remained a prominent figure in the populist right, urging Republicans to maintain pressure on Washington’s institutions and to follow Trump’s lead in reshaping government.
On Wednesday, he directed much of his ire toward Senate Republicans, calling on them to eliminate the chamber’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, which Democrats are currently using to block a GOP funding bill amid an ongoing government shutdown that began on October 1.
Republicans currently need seven Democratic votes to move their spending package forward, but Democrats have refused, insisting that any deal include an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies set to expire at year’s end. Bannon argued that Republicans should seize the moment to act decisively rather than compromise.
“If we don’t do that now, we’re gonna lose this chance forever, because you’re never gonna have another Trump, all right?” he said. “You’re just not going to have him.”
Bannon’s remarks, both defiant and cautionary, underscored the sense of urgency coursing through the conservative movement as it faces a resurgent Democratic Party and a deeply divided Washington. For his audience — loyal to Trump and skeptical of establishment Republicans — Bannon’s message was clear: retreat is not an option.
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