Steve Bannon has predicted Donald Trump “is going to prison” unless “we” win the 2028 presidential election.
Trump’s former White House chief strategist made the remarks on Thursday during an appearance on his War Room podcast.
Newsweek contacted Bannon for comment, via an email sent to War Room, on Friday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Trump is the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony and if he is imprisoned after his second White House term, it would be an unprecedented step in American political history, that would likely be fiercely opposed by his supporters.
What To Know
Speaking on his War Room podcast, Bannon said: “God forbid we don’t win in 2028 President Trump is going to prison just like Bolsonaro in Brazil.”
In February, Brazil’s chief prosecutor charged the country’s ex-President Jair Bolsonaro on five counts including attempting to stage a coup following his defeat to Lula da Silva at the 2022 presidential election. Earlier this week, a panel of the Brazilian Supreme Court unanimously ruled the case should go to trial, though Bolsonaro strongly denies any wrongdoing.
Bolsonaro enjoyed warm relations with Trump and was nicknamed the “Trump of the Tropics” by multiple media outlets.
Bannon also predicted Trump will face a third impeachment attempt if Republicans lose control of the House at the 2028 midterm elections. Trump has already been acquitted in two impeachment trials, one for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in 2019 and another for incitement of insurrection following the Capitol Hill riot of January 6, 2021.
DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP/MANDEL NGAN/GETTY
Trump was awaiting sentencing after being convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024 when he won his second presidential election victory in November 2024.
The president has also been charged over claims he mishandled classified documents and broke the law whilst trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election result both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has denied wrongdoing in all three cases.
After Trump’s victory, the federal classified documents and election interference cases were dropped by Special Counsel Jack Smith, whilst the Georgia case was pushed back until after his presidency. In the falsifying business records case, he was handed an unconditional discharge, meaning he didn’t receive any fines or jail time.
Bannon has already said Trump should run for a third term in 2028, though the 22nd Amendment bans any one individual from serving more than two terms. Bannon has argued this only applies to consecutive terms though this interpretation is not accepted by mainstream constitutional scholars.
Following his inauguration on January 20 Trump pardoned nearly all of these convicted over the involvement in the January 6 2021 storming of Congress by his supporters, though a handful only had their sentences commuted meaning they were also released from prison.
What People Are Saying
Steve Bannon said: “We are kidding ourselves if we don’t think Democrats are pulling all stops out to stop President Trump, to take the House through any means necessary, to impeach Trump, start the impeachment process in the first weeks of 2027 and God forbit we don’t win in 2028 President Trump is going to prison just like Bolsonaro in Brazil.
“People are sitting around still with the glow of November 4 and all the inauguration and all the balls, we’re at war. And the things that happened over the past 72 hours if you don’t understand we’re in political warfare you’re sure not awake.”
What Happens Next
The 2026 midterm elections will be the first major electoral test for the second Trump administration, and could give some indication of how popular the Republicans and Democrats are ahead of the 2028 presidential contest.
