Steve Bannon launched a blistering attack on media mogul Rupert Murdoch during a recent episode of his War Room podcast, calling for the News Corp chairman emeritus to be stripped of his U.S. citizenship and removed from the country while also accusing Fox News and the New York Post of undermining the America First movement.
During the broadcast, Bannon included Murdoch among a list of high-profile figures he said should be expelled from the United States. Others mentioned included X owner Elon Musk and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat. However, Bannon reserved his harshest criticism for Murdoch and the media organizations he owns.
Turning his attention to the New York Post, Bannon argued that the newspaper is owned by someone who should no longer be recognized as an American citizen.
“The New York Post, let me be blunt about the New York Post, you’re owned by someone that we should denaturalize immediately,” Bannon said.
He continued by criticizing what he described as “a bunch of Australians” and “progressive Australians,” later adding English nationals to his remarks. Bannon dismissed the idea that they should be viewed as Americans.
Bannon then revisited Murdoch’s decision to become a U.S. citizen in the 1980s. According to Bannon, Murdoch sought citizenship in order to acquire the Fox broadcast network, arguing that ownership of a broadcast network required U.S. citizenship.
“Well, to own a broadcast network, you have to be a citizen of the United States of America,” Bannon said before claiming Murdoch became a citizen through the influence of powerful interests.
Murdoch, who was born in Australia, became a naturalized American citizen in 1985. He is 95 years old.
Bannon escalated his rhetoric by insisting Murdoch should be denaturalized immediately, even suggesting the action should be taken regardless of whether Murdoch is alive.
“He needs to be denaturalized immediately,” Bannon said. “I even say, if he died, you go dig him up and denaturalize him.”
Beyond Murdoch personally, Bannon also took aim at Fox News, describing the network as “controlled opposition.” He argued that the media company’s political influence has helped pave the way for progressive Democratic candidates.
Bannon cited New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, and Texas Senate candidate James Talarico as examples, claiming their political rise reflects years of policies supported by Murdoch’s media outlets.
“One of the reasons that we could have Abdul in the Senate from Michigan and Talarico in the Senate from Texas and you got Mamdani already running the deal in the greatest city in the world… is because the controlled opposition of Fox News,” Bannon said.
He argued that Fox News has supported what he characterized as longstanding neoliberal and neoconservative policies rather than embracing an America First agenda. According to Bannon, those policies are incompatible with nationalism and populism.
Closing his remarks, Bannon once again called for Murdoch to be stripped of his citizenship and deported, repeating his criticism of the New York Post and its ownership.
“You’re owned by a bunch of progressive Australians that we’re gonna denaturalize,” Bannon said. “If we gotta dig him up after he’s dead, we’ll dig him up after he is dead like they dug up Cromwell and we’ll denaturalize him.”
