In a fiery segment on his “War Room” podcast Friday, former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon reportedly launched a blistering attack on media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his media empire, accusing the Murdoch-controlled Wall Street Journal and Fox News of deliberately working to undermine President Donald Trump and the broader MAGA movement.
“Last night, we saw it in all its ugliness. The Murdochs hate Trump,” Bannon declared, referring to a Wall Street Journal story that highlighted a “bawdy” letter purportedly written by Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. “The Murdochs want to take down Trump. And this is why… we have to be on offense all the time.”
Bannon questioned the authenticity of the letter, which has not been independently verified and may not even exist. “They put up a phony letter, which I understand from senior sources working with President Trump, they never even showed the letter,” he said. “They don’t even know if they have the letter.”
Calling the Wall Street Journal the Murdochs’ “sharpest tool” against Trump, Bannon distinguished it from the New York Post, which he said they use “as more of a populist entity,” and Fox News, which he described as a network “for RINOs.”
But it was the Journal, he emphasized, that plays the most aggressive role in what he claims is a broader campaign to dismantle Trump’s political future.
“They tried to actually destroy him with what looks like a phony and fake letter,” Bannon said. “Quite frankly, the Murdochs concocted something last night and thought it’d be a kill shot on President Trump. And lo and behold, it’s the exact opposite.”
Bannon, who has been among the most vocal defenders of the president since leaving the White House, said Trump is now back on the offensive and suggested the media attacks are backfiring.
“President Trump is best when it’s attack, attack, attack,” he said. “This is the deep state, this is the ruling class in America.”
He urged the attorney general to act decisively by unsealing all sealed evidence surrounding the Epstein case. “They should petition it to release all the sealed evidence,” Bannon said, claiming such transparency would expose efforts to selectively target Trump while ignoring broader systemic abuses.
Bannon also hinted that Trump’s legal team is preparing to respond forcefully. “The lawsuit that they’re putting together is gonna be absolutely incredible,” he said, and noted that Trump is eager to get Rupert Murdoch on the witness stand. “He can’t wait to get Rupert Murdoch on the stand.”
Recalling previous revelations from the Dominion lawsuit—where Murdoch reportedly made disparaging remarks about Trump—Bannon insisted this time, “he ain’t going to get out of this one.”
Bannon’s remarks reflect a deepening divide between the Murdoch media empire and Trump-aligned conservatives, who see the Journal and Fox News shifting toward a post-Trump era.
But for Bannon and the populist right, the message is clear: they’re not going anywhere—and they’re ready for battle.
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