When Stephen K. Bannon reported to federal prison about four months ago, he put his podcast in the hands of little-known experts and the right-wingers behind Donald J. Trump. Left a blank on the message machine.
Soon, Mr. Bannon will rejoin the fray.
Bannon, 70, a podcast host, political strategist and confidant of President Trump, is scheduled to be released from a federal prison in Connecticut on Tuesday. His newfound freedom thrusts one of the country’s most influential conservative agitators into the final stages of a campaign already filled with inflammatory rhetoric, fear, suspicion and talk of retaliation. It will be.
Bannon was found guilty of contempt and reported to prison on July 1 for failing to respond to a Congressional subpoena seeking information regarding the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In its preparation, Mr. Bannon claimed: Trump similarly said the Justice Department was armed against him.
In his absence, his daily podcast “War Room” languished. He has had rotating guest hosts, including former Virginia congressman Dave Blatt and former Trump administration official Kash Patel, but none of them have been able to draw as large an audience as Mr. Bannon.
For example, on Oct. 1, “War Room” was ranked 52nd among political podcasts, behind the show hosted by former Minnesota Sen. Al Franken and the Lincoln Project, according to analytics firm PodCharts. was ranked. Before Mr. Bannon’s incarceration, PodCharts regularly ranked the show among the top 10 political podcasts in the country.
Bannon’s return throws a variable into a close race. Trump supporters say Bannon could make a difference in the final weeks, increasing enthusiasm among the party’s base, persuading low-frequency voters to vote and possibly helping prepare for post-election fallout. I’m looking forward to it.
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