Steve Bannon on the GOP and the midterms: “We can’t afford to lose”

October 11, 2026 / 9:59 AM EDT / CBS News

There he was, in February 2017, on the cover of Time Magazine: Steve Bannon, chief White House strategist. They called him "The Great Manipulator." He threatened at times to overshadow the president himself – not the best career move – and for a while he visibly fell out of favor.

To this day, though, Bannon remains a passionate Trump supporter. "When Trump decides to leave the stage actively, he can't be replaced," he said. "Like Washington or Lincoln, these are people that they name the age of."

Yes, Bannon mentions Trump in the same breath as Washington and Lincoln. "Oh, I am," he said. "I think he's at that level. Because I think General Washington was there at the birth of the nation; Lincoln was the rebirth of the nation; and I absolutely believe (and I think 99% of MAGA believes) that Trump was there for the salvation of the nation."

Bannon is a man of unwavering commitment. He did four months in prison for contempt of Congress, for refusing to testify about his role in the events leading up to the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol (including…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/