Fresh out of federal prison, Steve Bannon wasted no time reclaiming his platform, launching a fiery critique of Vice President Kamala Harris and claiming young Black and Hispanic men "detest" her—a statement bound to deepen tensions as Harris struggles to secure minority support in a tight election season.
Hours after his release from federal prison, Steve Bannon wasted no time before diving into the fray on his podcast, "War Room," where he immediately zeroed in on Vice President Kamala Harris. Describing his experience behind bars as one that provided clarity, Bannon claimed that young Black and Hispanic men “detest” Harris, a demographic the Harris campaign is actively working to win over in a competitive election cycle.
Bannon’s release followed a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress, stemming from his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the “January 6 Committee.” The committee, established by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was critiqued by Bannon and others as a partisan effort, citing Pelosi’s unprecedented control over its members and investigation structure.
Releasing his pent-up energy on Tuesday, Bannon returned to his podcast studio, where he took aim at recent criticisms of former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden. Countering media claims that painted the event as “Nazi” in nature, Bannon said the rally demonstrated Trump’s unique influence, noting that it “could never be pulled off by Kamala Harris or the Democrats.” Further, he claimed that his time in prison had underscored what he sees as deep frustrations among minority male voters toward Harris.
Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, faces challenges in securing traditional Democrat margins among Black and Hispanic men, groups showing increasing ambivalence toward her campaign. Harris’s team has scrambled to downplay controversial moments at Trump’s rally, including a warmup comedian’s joke about Puerto Rico that drew criticism, though Bannon dismissed it as an insignificant misstep.
Bannon, a former executive chairman of Breitbart News who joined Trump’s 2016 campaign, relayed his prison experience as a personal testament to his resilience. “The four months in federal prison not only didn’t break me, they empowered me,” he said, casting his conviction as a failed attempt to silence him and his audience.
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