Bannon to Both Parties: Adapt or 'You're Finished'

Steve Bannon says the political revolution he's been warning about has arrived—and both parties are blowing the response. In an interview with Politico, the former Trump strategist points to democratic socialist wins across the country as evidence that "the old politics are gone. ... You're seeing it burn to the ground before you." Bannon argues the left's insurgent wing has quietly built a powerful, nationwide ground game that beats money and endorsements with door-knocking and anti-establishment messaging. He says Democratic leaders misread earlier defeats, like former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's loss to Zohran Mamdani in New York City, and still don't grasp the scope of the shift.

Republicans, Bannon contends, are no better positioned: They're clinging to themes like tax cuts and foreign interventions while responding to left-wing economic pitches—including "free rent" demands—with flat rejection instead of their own populist agenda. He frames democratic socialists as "Marxists" and "jihadists," but also as disciplined organizers who won't be easily contained, likening them to a Tea Party that can't be co-opted. His warning to traditional politicians in both parties: Adapt to a populist era focused on economic pain and anti-elite anger, or "you're finished." Read the interview.