Instantly earlier than reporting for a four-month sentence in federal jail on Monday, Stephen Okay. Bannon, the longtime adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, will host the 2 remaining hours of his podcast from simply exterior the low-security facility in Danbury, Conn.
“We’ll be as near the jail as we will presumably get,” mentioned Mr. Bannon in a high-spirited interview over the weekend. And when the taping, which he forged as an unsubtle troll pointed on the Justice Division, is concluded, “I’ll stroll throughout the road and give up.”
Mr. Bannon on Friday misplaced his last-ditch bid to keep away from incarceration, after the Supreme Courtroom denied a request to postpone the sentence whereas he appealed a jury verdict that discovered him responsible of contempt for ignoring a congressional subpoena. Because of this, the very public determine will stay out of view — and off the air — till only a few days earlier than the Nov. 5 election.
However the correct wing firebrand insists that swapping his studio mic for a jail job, and his trademark double-collared shirts for presidency khakis, can have little affect on his influential “Battle Room” podcast. In reality, he claims, it would “solely get greater and extra highly effective” whereas he’s in custody.
He has ready for this second for months, Mr. Bannon mentioned, enlisting a crew of almost 20 visitor hosts to proceed pumping out the present, which streams its distinctive stew of unvaryingly pro-Trump political patter for 4 hours a day, Monday via Friday, plus two further hours on Saturdays.
That group contains Andrew Giuliani, the son of Mr. Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani; Mr. Bannon’s daughter, Maureen; Noor bin Laden, the niece of Osama bin Laden, who is understood for her perception in conspiracy theories; and Jeffrey Clark, who served within the Justice Division beneath Mr. Trump and faces felony fees in Georgia in reference to efforts to overturn Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss there. They’ll be liable for managing the stream of Republican politicians, consultants, media figures, pollsters, coverage wonks, donors, intellectuals and economists who use “Battle Room” as a bullhorn aimed instantly at what’s arguably Mr. Trump’s most loyal and engaged base of assist.
Mr. Bannon mentioned it will additionally characteristic Peter Navarro, a frequent “Battle Room” contributor and former commerce adviser within the Trump administration who’s set to complete serving his personal contempt-of-Congress sentence in jail on July 17.
“The present should go on,” mentioned Jack Posobiec, who will squeeze guest-hosting duties in between episodes of his personal fashionable political podcast.
He interviewed Mr. Bannon, in tandem with the Turning Level USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, on Sunday night time. He mentioned he’d guarantee that Mr. Navarro was whisked instantly from the low-security jail in Miami, the place he’s been since mid-March, to Milwaukee for the Republican Nationwide Conference.
However not everybody is certain that the absence — within the vital remaining months of the presidential race — received’t depart a mark. Mr. Bannon ran Mr. Trump’s profitable 2016 marketing campaign throughout its remaining months, and though he has no official position on this iteration, he speaks ceaselessly with Mr. Trump and a number of other of his prime advisers about political issues. Most just lately, Mr. Bannon mentioned, he and Mr. Trump mentioned technique going into final week’s debate with President Biden.
He’s additionally an enormous movie star on the correct, routinely drawing greater crowds at occasions like CPAC or Turning Level USA conferences than most politicians or any information media determine wanting Tucker Carlson.
“It is a huge political blow,” mentioned Mike Davis, a former congressional aide and lawyer who has change into certainly one of Mr. Trump’s prime surrogates on authorized points. “Steve Bannon is by far the mental chief and the final for the MAGA motion and might’t get replaced.”
Mr. Davis, a frequent visitor on “Battle Room” who has additionally been tapped to pinch-hit as a bunch, famous that Mr. Bannon has an almost distinctive means to fire up motion from the plenty. “I get way more social media exercise and donations once I go on Steve’s present than another platform, together with Fox Information,” Mr. Davis mentioned.
“It’s going to actually be a void,” agreed Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist together with her personal podcast who additionally has sturdy ties to Mr. Trump.
The flexibility of Mr. Bannon to succeed in the Make America Nice Once more contingent will likely be severely restricted by the federal Bureau of Prisons.
Though Federal Correctional Establishment Danbury is a low-security jail, its guidelines nonetheless cap telephone calls to fifteen minutes at time, with a complete restrict of 320 minutes of calls monthly. Inmates usually are not allowed entry to the web and might ship emails and texts solely to permitted recipients via a fee-based e mail system that may be monitored by jail officers. Prisoners are additionally required to carry out a jail job, typically in facility upkeep or kitchen responsibility for current arrivals and short-timers.
Clay Travis, a conservative radio host who additionally has a preferred sports activities podcast, mentioned that if he had been going to jail, he’d remember to name in to his personal present from behind bars. “I’d be getting my crew collectively to determine whether or not I might make telephone calls to distribute the present,” Mr. Travis mentioned.
Mr. Bannon mentioned he has no such intentions. He in contrast jail to his regimented years as an officer within the Navy, and intends to make use of his time there for targeted work. He’ll restrict telephone calls and visits to his attorneys, he mentioned, and is asking his followers to not ship him letters of assist, which he insists he’ll return unread.
As a substitute, he mentioned, he’ll focus his free time on sending emails concerning the marketing campaign to key folks (he wouldn’t say who’s on his permitted record). He additionally plans to compensate for his studying: He has ordered 5 books to work via, amongst them the King James Bible, “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” and a historical past of the Russian Revolution.
He believes that his momentary disappearance will function a motivator to the thousands and thousands of devoted listeners who routinely make “Battle Room” one of many nation’s most-listened-to political podcasts. And, in line with Mr. Posobiec, he’ll get out simply in time to assist make the ultimate push to Election Day triumph.
“It’s like an epic story the place the wizened chief isn’t capable of be there till the ultimate battle,” he mentioned. “It’s going to be very very similar to the return of Gandalf.”
