Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and influential “War Room” host, is quietly exploring an audacious bid for the US presidency in 2028 – a move that could ignite a bitter civil war inside Donald Trump’s populist “Make America Great Again” movement.
Well-placed sources have stated to Daily Mail that Bannon, 71, has begun soliciting political advice as he tests the waters for a White House run. His likely rival? Vice President JD Vance – a Trump-endorsed favorite already seen by many as the natural successor to the former president.
“He created his image”
A Bannon-Vance primary would pit the original architect of the MAGA movement against its institutional inheritor. Sources say Bannon has privately dismissed Vance’s ability to lead the ticket.
“Love him… but Vance is not tough enough to run in 2028,” one insider quoted Bannon as saying. Another source claimed Bannon was instrumental in shaping Vance’s political identity. “He created his image,” they said, describing how Bannon “pushed and propped him up” to fit the role of vice president.
Bannon declined to comment, while Vance’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Vance’s early edge vs. Bannon’s ambitions
Trump recently named Vance as the favorite to succeed him. At February’s CPAC conference, conservative attendees ranked Vance as their top 2028 choice with 61% of the vote, while Bannon placed a distant but notable second with 12%.
While Bannon has previously dismissed running as “too absurd,” he has not fully ruled it out. In March, he told Politico: “I don’t think like a politician… all I do is back President Trump and try to move the populist agenda and the America First agenda.”
One Republican consultant told the Daily Mail that Bannon’s presidential aspirations are still “in the contemplative stage,” though he has long harbored interest in running.
A controversial figure with media power
Bannon, a savvy media operator, remains at the “tip of the intellectual spear” of the MAGA movement through his War Room show. He has also drawn attention for repeatedly floating the unconstitutional idea that Trump could seek a third term – a suggestion the former president has resisted as recently as this week, when he stated that he will not be returning for a third term in all probability, despite being tempted to do so.
But Bannon’s political maneuvering comes as he sits at the center of another explosive story: the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Epstein tapes and 2028 leverage
Bannon claims to possess roughly 15 hours of unreleased videotaped interviews with Epstein, filmed in 2019 before the disgraced financier’s death. The footage was reportedly shot as part of a documentary intended to rehabilitate Epstein’s image, according to his brother.
A Republican source in Bannon’s circle speculated that if Bannon withholds the tapes, he could potentially “deploy them for leverage” during a 2028 run.
Whether Bannon ultimately enters the race or remains a behind-the-scenes power broker, his early moves have already signaled a potentially seismic showdown inside the GOP’s populist wing.
Trump ally Steve Bannon plotting 2028 Presidential run? What clash with JD Vance means for MAGA
