The U.S. midterm elections are entering their final countdown, and Steve Bannon, Trump’s former trusted advisor and a key figure in the MAGA movement, has turned his attention to post-election situations. He warns that the Republican Party will experience a “civil war” the day after the elections, with intense battles over the party’s future direction.
According to the British ‘Financial Times’, reported on October 31 local time, Benner believes that the Republican establishment is trying to regain control of the party from the MAGA camp. He also warned that if Trump resumed large-scale military actions against Iran, it would trigger a strong backlash, and he himself would be at the forefront of those opposing such actions.
"We will have an 'internal war' within our party," Ban Nong said.
Bannon served as the White House Chief Strategist during Trump's first presidency and was one of the key strategists behind Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Although he has since left the White House, he continues to maintain influence within the MAGA movement through platforms such as the podcast "The Briefing Room."
Steve Bannon Visual China
In an interview with the Financial Times, Bennet said that topics such as Israel, Iran, immigration policies, and the so-called "deep state" are causing intense divisions within the Republican Party.
“You will see that various parties will engage in intense battles over these issues, and different factions will gradually take sides. By 2027, new leaders will emerge from among them.”
"I've always told everyone that it won't have to wait until six months later. It will start next Wednesday (November 4th)." He said.
Regarding the 2028 U.S. presidential election, Bannon believes that there is no clear leader among the Republicans yet, and various factions will compete over the party's future.
He is targeting the traditional faction that seeks to recapture control of government by the Republican Party and its backers.
“Republicans, those wealthy groups, and party officials at the state level all want to take back control of the Republican Party.”
Bannon said that these people view Trump as “a fleeting summer storm,” believing that once Trump leaves the political stage, Republican voters will still turn back to support neoliberal and neo-con policies.
"But that era has passed, and no one will ever walk down the path of regret again. In fact, this movement is becoming more nationalistic."
In addition to the internal party strife within the Republican Party, Bannon predicted that during the lame duck session of Congress from November 3rd until the inauguration of the new Congress in January next year, there will be a series of intense debates surrounding issues such as the US debt ceiling, government spending, defense policy, and regulations on artificial intelligence.
He described a massive government expenditure bill as "lunatic and ridiculous" and warned, “This session of the parliament will be abnormally bloody with the 'lame duck' congressmen.”
What particularly concerns Benenut is that Trump might revive large-scale military actions against Iran.
People will completely blow up. Mr. Banon stated that if Mr. Trump makes this decision, he himself would be at the forefront of opposition.
This statement comes at a time when the U.S. government is reconsidering military action against Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently stated that the U.S. has the capability to further attack Iran, but Trump has not yet decided whether to launch a new round of strikes.
On the eve of the midterm elections, Bannon publicly warned Trump not to resume large-scale military actions against Iran, which also reflects the divisions within the American Republican Party regarding policies on overseas military intervention.
Despite predictions that the Republican Party will be embroiled in infighting, Bán Nong has a pessimistic view of the party's mid-term election prospects.
He admitted that he once worried that the Democratic Party would trigger a ‘blue tsunami’ in this year’s mid-term elections, causing heavy losses to the Republican Party.
“Trump didn’t really commit himself to the election campaign. I think they didn’t have any real strategy at all, and their base voters were also disheartened and demoralized.”
However, Bannon believes that Trump's recent visits to small towns in states such as Alaska, Arizona, and Montana to hold campaign rallies can help re-engage the enthusiasm of his supporters.
The president likes to hold events in large venues," Bannon said, "and these places don't count as major scenes, but they must be held."
He also praised the political action committee under American entrepreneur Elon Musk for its support of the Republican Party’s campaign in Texas, and predicted that Trump’s super political action committee, ‘MAGA Company’, would ultimately invest nearly $400 million to support Republican candidates.
Bannon said that this expense could shock Trump, as “I know he never intended to spend this money at all.”
In the senate elections, Banon believes the Republican Party still has a chance to hold onto their majority seats, however he is "very worried" about the election prospects in Georgia, North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio.
He specifically mentioned Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswami, believing that his controversial campaign is dragging down other Republican candidates in the state, and could even lead to a complete collapse of the Republican Party’s chances in local elections.
The Republican party's traditional voting warehouse in Texas has raised concerns among rural voters.
Trump-backed Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton is currently competing with Democratic candidate James Tarlabik. The last time a Democrat was elected as a U.S. Senator in Texas was 38 years ago.
Bannon attributed part of Paxton's difficulties to the Republican establishment, accusing senior senator John Cornyn and his allies of continuously damaging Paxton's campaign prospects after they were defeated by Paxton in the party primaries.
He also specifically cited Carl Rove, the former presidential strategist who refused to endorse Paxton, saying that the aggressive advertisements launched by these “traditional Republicans” in the primary elections were even more vicious than those used by the Democrats against Paxton.
We now have a tough battle ahead of us. There's no doubt that his situation is very dire. Barnou said.
Regarding the congressional elections, Bannon's judgment is even more pessimistic. He acknowledges that it would be a "miracle" if the Republicans could continue to maintain a majority in the House of Representatives, but he also indicates that it is not completely impossible.
"Now everything depends on the voting rate," he said, "But the atmosphere is already much better than it was eight weeks ago."
