Bannon: Election denial is ‘the core belief of the MAGA movement’
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The false idea that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election is “the core belief” of MAGA voters, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon said on CBS’ Sunday Morning news show.
Bannon also said he’s still trying to get Trump to run for a third term, and agreed that the GOP should do “whatever it takes” to win the midterms.
The interview is the latest evidence that Bannon and MAGA are committed to sowing as much chaos as needed to subvert democracy and disrupt the midterms.
“The core belief of the MAGA movement is we won the 2020 election,” Bannon told Ted Koppel, during a back-and-forth on the six-year-old contest.
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And Bannon said he’s “the leader of trying to get President Trump to run for a third term.”
It’s a cause Bannon has actively pushed before – though he said he doesn’t think Trump is interested.
When Koppel reminded Bannon that the 22nd Amendment bars a third term, Bannon doubled down.
“You could drive a truck through that amendment.” he said, claiming there were “a number of different alternatives” that could be used to get around it.
Legal scholars disagree.
Bannon also professed his fandom for Leni Riefenstahl, the Nazi propaganda filmmaker most infamous for crafting Adolf Hitler’s public image.
He called her “one of the most powerful filmmakers ever” and said in his own visual promotional content for Trump he’s been trying “to recreate the power of [Riefenstahl’s] films.”
Such propaganda for Trump is critical for this year’s midterms, Bannon said, adding that MAGA “can’t afford to lose” in November.
“That’s a frightening prospect,” said Koppel, “because If Steve Bannon says that, then it means that [you’ve] gotta do whatever it takes to win this fight.”
“Exactly,” Bannon replied.
Frightening, indeed. With Trump’s approval ratings in the dumps, the president has implored his base to “cheat like hell,” while far-right figures stoke fears around “nightmare” scenarios if Democrats win control of Congress.
Bannon has also gone on the record in recent months saying that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will “surround the polls” – which is illegal – while spreading conspiracy lies about Democrat plots to cheat in the midterms.