Former Trump White House advisor and campaign manager, Steve Bannon, tore into Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday after Hannity asked the former president if he would be a “dictator” if returned to the White House.
Bannon, who regularly insults Fox News on his far-right, conspiracy theory-promoting podcast, fumed at Hannity for asking the question and called the veteran host an “idiot” and “dumb.” Bannon began his monologue by calling Rupert Murdoch a “moron” and Fox News “TV for stupid people.”
“Sean Hannity actually thought he was helping Trump last night,” Bannon raged, quoting the host’s question to the former president: “Let me ask you a question, will you be a dictator?”
Bannon then praised Trump for heckling Hannity with a comical reply and argued that the Fox town hall audience was not just laughing at Trump’s reply, but they were laughing at Hannity. “By the way Sean, they are laughing at you,” Bannon jabbed.
“You’re an idiot,” he continued, pulling no punches.
“And we don’t have time for idiots, bro. This is a war, OK? This is a war. We don’t have time for sunshine patriots in this nonsense, and don’t carry the water for the Murdochs and don’t carry the water for the left,” Bannon continued, tearing into the network many credit with getting Trump elected in 2016.
“How dumb are you?” Bannon continued. “This is war, and you’re just not good enough; you’re just not smart enough.”
Hannity asked Trump on Tuesday night, addressing widespread coverage of Trump’s recent authoritarian rhetoric, “Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?”
“Except for day one,” Trump responded at the Iowa event.
“I love this guy,” Trump later added, “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”
Bannon, who is an influential voice in the MAGA base, has long promoted Trump centralizing government power and the systemic tearing apart of U.S. institutions, which he labels the “deep state.” The CFO of Bannon’s War Room podcast, Grace Chong, tweeted her approval on Tuesday writing, “I’m down for a Trump dictatorship.”
Watch the full clip above.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
