Steve Bannon’s War Room: Pandemic has become the focal point for Republicans eager to show their pro-Trump bona-fides, according to NBC News, which says politicians are using the podcast as a “kind of proxy primary.”
“With Fox News losing favor among Trump’s most diehard fans, ‘War Room’ appears to be gaining steam as a safe space for the far right. It’s routinely among the most popular podcasts on Apple’s platform and streams live twice each weekday and once every Saturday through the Real America’s Voice network,” NBC reports.
Many of the GOP’s current controversial voices appear on the show, but Republican politicians looking to raise their profile are also making appearances on the podcast, including Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-New York-21).
After her appearance on War Room, Stefanik became the new chair of the House Republican Conference, replacing ousted Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming), according to NBC. Cheney challenged Republicans over efforts to downplay the January 6 U.S. Capitol riot and, in a Washington Post op-ed, called claims of election fraud “Trump’s crusade to delegitimize and undo the legal outcome of the 2020 election.”
Bannon told NBC that he is using the November 2020 presidential election to block Republican candidates for the 2022 election cycle if they don’t agree to investigate the 2020 election.
“There will not be a Republican that wins a primary for 2022 — not one — that doesn’t take the pledge to get to the bottom of Nov. 3,” he told NBC.
Bannon’s podcast is home to skepticism about Biden’s presidency and COVID-19 vaccines, according to NBC. The article states, “YouTube has banned Bannon’s podcast channel, citing concerns about the spread of false claims about election fraud. Nevertheless, Bannon has had little trouble booking guests, from MAGA celebrities such as the MyPillow creator to veteran lawmakers and candidates.”
Bannon explained to NBC, “We pride ourselves on being the most populist, most economic nationalist wing of this movement.”
According to Trump adviser Jason Miller, the former president is paying attention. “[He] definitely has an appreciation for the work that Bannon and the show are doing,” Miller told NBC.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
