Trump and Bannon vs. The Deep State: Two Honey Badger and Their 15 Year Fight to Save America

On the historic first anniversary of Steve Bannon’s imprisonment as a political prisoner in Danbury, CT, a New York Times podcast reveals a long-running war where two relentless "honey badgers” — Steve Bannon and Donald Trump — have fought side-by-side against the entrenched Deep State and establishment forces for over a decade.

“Bandon described Trump to me before as a guided missile,” Jermey Peters from the New York Times Podcast, The Daily said.

Bannon went on to describe Trump as even more than that.

“MAGA doesn’t exist without him as the charismatic leader. Listen, Jeremy, he’s not just the leader of the MAGA Movement. He created this movement. If Trump had not come along when he came down that escalator 10 years ago, we would be 20 or 30 years behind. Now look how he’s changed everything politically against all odds and the established order. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are saying he’s a fool. He’s an idiot. He’s never going to happen. And now, I think most people realize we live in the age of Trump. It is a seminal moment in American politics defined by one man in the movement he helped build. And I think we’re at the very beginning of this movement. And I think President Trump will be with us a long time,” Bannon said.

However, there is always room to be vigilant and Bannon sees MAGA under siege—from inside Washington, from the media, and from billionaire influencers. He argues that the movement’s survival hinges on holding firm to its three core pillars: ending forever wars, restricting immigration, and fighting unfair trade. And in Bannon’s view, those goals can only be accomplished under the fearless leadership of Donald Trump.

Enemies on Every Front

Despite its momentum, the MAGA movement faces daily threats. As the architect of Trump’s 2016 upset, Bannon warns that betrayal is always one meeting or one headline away. Whether it’s foreign policy reversals or Big Tech’s growing grip, he believes the very foundations of MAGA are constantly being sabotaged by actors both foreign and domestic.

In one striking moment from the podcast, Peters reminds Bannon of a 2017 encounter: someone yelling "F*** you, Bannon!” in public. His response? Pride. That moment, to him, captured everything about being a honey badger—taking hits, getting up, and charging harder. That’s what the Deep State fears.

The Honey Badger Trump

One of the podcast’s central themes is Trump’s own "honey badger” mentality — fearless, combative, and unrelenting. This was most memorably displayed in the 2016 South Carolina GOP debate, when Trump stunned the Republican establishment by calling out Jeb Bush:

"They lied. Your brother lied. There were no weapons.”

With that single line, Trump didn’t just take on Jeb — he torched the Bush dynasty, exposed the Iraq War lies, and connected deeply with working-class Americans who’d grown tired of being sacrificed for foreign policy failures.

That moment landed like a bomb in the establishment — but in the MAGA world, it was a declaration of war against the old order. It also proved that Trump wasn’t just a disruptor — he was a threat to everything they stood for.

Bannon shares that same DNA. He doesn’t flatter the system. He breaks it. Game recognizes game — and in Trump, Bannon saw a fellow honey badger, ready to claw through the walls of the elite fortress.

The Origins of the Fight

The podcast traces their alliance back to 2010, when Bannon introduced Trump to the populist message surging from the Tea Party: working-class rage over immigration, trade, and endless wars. Trump immediately saw himself in that energy. And by 2016, the two had fused their instincts into a movement that changed American politics.

Trump’s campaign revolved around three simple, powerful principles:

End stupid forever wars

Secure the border and stop mass immigration

Rebuild American industry through fair trade

The result? A tidal wave of voters abandoned both parties to follow a man who said what they thought — and didn’t apologize for it.

Battling the Deep State — Together

Now, years later, those pillars are still under assault. According to Bannon, the enemies aren’t just Democrats — they’re inside the GOP: generals, billionaires like Elon Musk, and what Bannon calls the "oligarch class.” These are the same elites who profit off open borders, endless wars, and globalist trade deals.

The recent U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites marked what Bannon sees as a major warning sign. Trump ordered the strike, but Bannon insists it came under immense pressure from entrenched foreign policy hands and lobbyists. He points directly at Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and neocon allies in Washington. He slams Fox News for "cheerleading” the strikes, echoing the same war fever that sold Iraq.

But through it all, Bannon doesn’t abandon Trump. He warns him. Corrects course. Keeps him locked on mission. They are not opponents—they are partners in the same brutal trench war, two honey badgers dragging an entire political realignment forward while the establishment claws back.

2024-A Summer of Trials

This past summer marked a turning point — and a grim reminder of the price of resistance.

As Bannon sat behind bars for defying a congressional subpoena, Trump was shot in an assassination attempt. One man in prison, the other bleeding on stage — both under fire, both targeted, both refusing to yield.

That moment may sealed the bond between them. Different battlefields, same war. Each taking hits meant for the movement itself.

The Stakes and the Strategy

Bannon describes Trump as a "guided missile.” Lethal. Unpredictable. Capable of reshaping history — if aimed correctly. His role, Bannon says, is to keep that missile locked onto the original mission: the working-class agenda that shook the world in 2016.

"You won’t let this movement fall apart,” Bannon says. "It’s too valuable to the country and the citizens.”

And despite the bullets, the betrayals, and the prison bars, the movement hasn’t faded. Bannon points to rising support among Black and Hispanic voters, and an awakening of working people fed up with both parties. The populist coalition is growing — if it can stay focused.

Released on the anniversary of Bannon’s imprisonment, this podcast doesn’t just tell the story of two men. It documents a 15-year fight against the world’s most powerful forces.

Steve Bannon and Donald Trump — the honey badgers of American politics — are still in the arena, still taking hits, still swinging back. And the Deep State? It knows they’re not done.

For more, watch this entire podcast- it is memorable: