3rd Term Plot Thickens

Man in suit speaking at rally with red hats.

Steve Bannon is quietly building a 2028 political machine that could redefine the post‑Trump GOP – all while insisting his real mission is to secure a third term for President Trump.

Story Highlights

Bannon is reportedly laying groundwork for a possible 2028 presidential bid while publicly denying he will run.
His real leverage appears to be using a potential campaign to force Republicans to embrace a tougher America First agenda.
He is organizing conferences, planning a PAC, and expanding his War Room platform into key states like Texas.
A forthcoming book with Alan Dershowitz will argue Trump could legally seek a third term despite the 22nd Amendment.

Bannon’s 2028 Maneuvers Inside a Changed Trump Era

Reports from Axios and follow-on coverage describe Steve Bannon taking concrete steps that look very much like the foundation of a 2028 presidential campaign. He has quietly discussed forming a political action committee, talked about potential staff, and used his War Room platform to pressure would‑be contenders. At the same time, Bannon insists his focus is on securing a third term for Trump, not on personal ambition, creating a peculiar mix of public denial and private preparation that conservatives will recognize as classic D.C. maneuvering.

For Trump supporters who watched the Biden years bring open borders, inflation, and weaponized bureaucracy, Bannon’s moves tap into a familiar frustration: too many Republicans talk America First, then fold under donor and media pressure. By signaling he could step into the 2028 field if others go soft on borders, Big Tech, or foreign adventurism, Bannon is effectively warning the establishment that the days of controlled opposition are over. His potential candidacy becomes a tool to keep the party anchored to Trump’s agenda.

Building a Grassroots Power Base in the States

Bannon’s strategy centers on state-level power, not cocktail-party acclaim in Washington. He has spent recent cycles courting activists at Colorado and Georgia GOP events, the people who actually shape primary rules, platforms, and endorsements. In Texas, he hosted a “Save Texas from Radical Islam” conference that brought together hundreds of attendees and leaders from dozens of organizations, backed by conservative sponsors. He plans a WarRoom: Texas project and a month-long relocation of his show to cover the state’s GOP primary, treating Texas as a proving ground for a harder-edged America First message.

This state-based organizing resonates with conservatives who watched federal bureaucrats and blue-state governors trample constitutional rights during COVID and the Biden border disaster. By going directly to county chairs, grassroots leaders, and church-based networks, Bannon is bypassing the consultant class that often waters down conservative priorities. If he ultimately runs, he could lean on this infrastructure instead of the traditional donor-driven early-state circuit, turning a media studio and a network of activists into a nontraditional campaign apparatus.

America First Litmus Tests for 2028 Hopefuls

Even without a formal campaign, Bannon is already acting as an ideological gatekeeper for the post‑2025 GOP. On War Room, he has hammered potential 2028 contenders like JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz when he believes they drift toward globalist or corporate-friendly positions. He has warned that MAGA leaders who are soft on Big Tech are “part of the problem,” criticized hawkish foreign policy instincts that could drag America back into endless conflicts, and pushed hard for economic nationalism over donor-class tax and trade orthodoxies. The message to rising Republicans is simple: stray from core America First principles and expect to be called out.

For conservatives tired of watching Republicans campaign as fighters and govern as caretakers of the status quo, this enforcement posture has obvious appeal. It signals that someone with reach and a loyal audience is willing to name names, not just complain about “the establishment” in the abstract. But it also means intramural fights on the right will intensify. If Bannon uses a potential run as leverage, 2028 could become a referendum not only on Trump’s legacy but on whether the party fully embraces populist nationalism or slides back toward the pre‑Trump consensus that failed to control spending, borders, and woke cultural power.

The Third-Term Debate and Constitutional Boundaries

One of the most provocative pieces of Bannon’s agenda is his collaboration with Alan Dershowitz on a book arguing that Trump could constitutionally seek a third term. The 22nd Amendment clearly limits presidents to two elected terms, and most legal scholars say a third term is off the table. Even Trump has publicly acknowledged the barrier. Bannon, however, talks about “driving a Mack Truck through the 22nd Amendment,” framing the legal fight as necessary to let Trump “finish the job” that was disrupted by the 2020 election and the Biden interlude.

For constitution-minded conservatives, this creates a tension. On one hand, they remember how the left treated the Constitution as a suggestion during the Biden years—using executive orders, bureaucratic decrees, and activist judges to push DEI mandates, censorship schemes, and open-border policies. On the other hand, reverence for constitutional limits is central to conservative identity. Many patriots may cheer Bannon’s determination to defend Trump and the America First project, while still insisting any path forward must respect the plain meaning of the 22nd Amendment and the Founders’ warnings about concentrated executive power.

What Bannon’s Moves Mean for Grassroots Conservatives

For everyday conservatives who fought school boards, opposed radical gender policies, and demanded a secure border, Bannon’s behind-the-scenes activity is a reminder that the next big battle is already underway. Trump’s return to the White House in 2025 halted the worst excesses of the Biden years and restored common-sense policies on immigration, energy, and cultural sanity. Yet as 2028 approaches, the question becomes whether the GOP will entrench those gains or drift back toward the globalist, big-spending, soft-border posture that paved the way for Biden in the first place. Bannon is positioning himself as either the enforcer who keeps future candidates honest or, if necessary, the one who steps into the ring.