I've got good news: If your heater broke and you need a rapid influx of hot air, Steve Bannon and Stephen A. Smith just recorded a podcast.
“If you take John Kennedy’s ‘Profiles in Courage,’ you read it and add it all up and triple it, that’s one-tenth of the moral clarity and courage that President Trump had,” Bannon declared. “Donald Trump will be back in the Oval Office [in 2029, after winning a third term]!”
Both men are black belts in hyperbole. They’re rhetorical grandmasters; propagandists extraordinaire. Steve Bannon, of course, is the populist “spirit animal” of the MAGA movement. He’s not a philosopher-king, but a philosopher-kingmaker. Bannon’s role is to elevate others, not himself.
Right until it isn’t.
One week ago, Politico released an interview: “‘I think he’s serious’: Bannon won’t rule out presidential run in 2028.”
Steve Bannon isn’t taking 2028 off the table.
In an profanity-laced interview on Wednesday with POLITICO, the MAGA firebrand repeatedly refused to rule out a presidential bid, as GOP sources close to him are increasingly speculating he is serious about running should President Donald Trump himself not campaign for a third term — a constitutionally barred idea Bannon has proposed.
One person close to Bannon and granted anonymity to speak freely said Bannon has privately discussed a potential 2028 campaign. “I think he’s serious,” the person said.
And he has long harbored presidential ambitions for himself, said three other people.
“I could talk to you for hours, I ain’t gonna lie, because some of the stuff that you say, I was like, I cannot believe this man really, really feels this way and is this adamant about it, but I… respect the conviction,” Smith told Bannon. There was no anger or vitriol in his voice. He didn’t waste time “virtue signaling” to the left with snarky putdowns or Karen-esque nonsense.
Instead, there was honest respect. Game recognizes game.
Because, just like Bannon, Stephen A. Smith is widely rumored to be interested in running for president in 2028 — only with the Donkeys. This wasn’t just a podcast, but two dark-horse presidential candidates from opposite sides of the aisle, breaking bread and talking shop.
For Bannon to have a chance in 2028, he needs three things:
- Trump can’t run for a third term.
- Bannon can’t be perceived as angling for the job or being motivated by selfish ambition.
- Instead, he must be seen as the reluctant heir to the MAGA crown — the only one who can carry the torch.
And in that context, Steve Bannon’s constant chatter about a third Trump term makes much more sense. By adopting the persona of the Numero Uno supporter of Trump ‘28, his personal ambition is hidden. And it puts Trump in a position of having to overtly decline running again before anyone else can run themselves.
Tactically, it’s a smart PR move for a 2028 GOP candidate.
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith is navigating his own path amongst the Democrats. He knows he can’t compete with someone such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on liberal turf — and so, he’s not going to try.
That’s not his lane.
But as a black man with a (mostly) male TV audience, he offers the Democrats something different. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is the only other black male likely to run, and with all due respect to Sen. Booker, he might be black, but he’s mostly colorless. He’s not going to wow an audience with his charisma.
Stephen A. Smith can: He’s funny, glib, and unafraid of poking the bear.
The Democrats are approaching a consensus. As Newsweek reported this week, “Young People Are Now Overwhelmingly Republican.”
Young Americans are supporting the Republican Party in greater numbers, a new poll has found, highlighting a large divide among people aged under 30.
The poll showed that over 53% of Republicans under the age of 30 would vote for Vance in 2028, but only 27.5% of Democrats would vote for Harris.
That’s a problem for the Dems.
If there’s a woman atop the Democratic ticket, picking Stephen A. Smith as the running mate would make more sense than most people realize.
“You’ve been a sports commentator and a sports reporter, etcetera,” Bannon told Smith. “It’s not beyond the bounds of reason… Donald Trump was a real estate developer and a TV Guy! Had no government experience at all! No military experience! It is not beyond the bounds of probabilities… that you could be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. And you could be the president of the United States!”
It's not that crazy at all.
Might wanna file this article away and check back in a few years.
