As the political world speculates about who will carry the MAGA torch after President Donald Trump leaves office in 2029, one of his oldest allies is reportedly preparing to make his own move—against all odds and with a wrecking ball in hand.
Sources close to former White House strategist Steve Bannon says the War Room firebrand is quietly assembling a campaign apparatus for a 2028 presidential bid—one that could upend the future of the America First movement he helped shape from the start.
And he’s already taking aim at Trump’s vice president.
“Love the guy,” Bannon allegedly told a close associate, “but JD [Vance] just doesn’t have the killer instinct to take this across the finish line.”
Bannon, now 71, has never held elected office—but that isn’t stopping him from planning a political comeback on a national scale. He’s reportedly been testing the waters with major donors, meeting with grassroots organizers, and brushing up his anti-establishment message.
According to insiders, Bannon is convinced that he was instrumental in crafting JD Vance’s populist image in the first place.
“He made Vance MAGA,” one source claimed. “He molded him, pushed him, promoted him—and now he thinks he created a monster that’s too tame.”
At February’s CPAC straw poll, Vance pulled a commanding 61% of the vote as the top 2028 contender. But Bannon’s surprise second-place finish at 12% turned heads—especially given that he hasn’t announced anything officially.
“He sees that number and thinks, ‘I still have juice,’” a former Breitbart colleague said.
When pressed earlier this year about who should carry the America First mantle after him, President Trump played coy.
“Well, JD is doing a great job,” Trump told reporters at the South Court Auditorium. “But Marco [Rubio]’s doing fantastic work too. Honestly, we’ve got a lot of strong people.”
The president then gestured to the crowd of administration officials and joked, “Some of them are right here on this stage.”
While many assumed Vance was the heir apparent when Trump tapped him as VP in 2024, the president has refused to officially endorse a successor—leaving the field wide open.
Another name floating around conservative circles is former South Dakota governor Kristi Noem. Though sidelined by scandal in early 2024, Noem has staged a quiet return to the national conversation.
“She’s got the resume, she’s got the discipline, and she knows how to talk to Iowa,” Republican pollster Frank Luntz told Fox News. “If she runs, she’s not someone to laugh off.”
But not everyone’s buying it. Noem has faced mockery over her recent cosmetic procedures and even got lampooned on South Park in a brutal send-up of “plastic patriotism.”
Still, in the current vacuum, her name keeps coming up.
With Bannon reportedly ready to turn his megaphone into a full-blown campaign machine, tensions are brewing within the movement. Some see him as a genius disrupter. Others view him as a chaotic force who could fracture the base just when it needs to unify post-Trump.
“Bannon thrives in chaos,” said a former Trump campaign advisor. “But that kind of energy doesn’t always translate to winning elections.”
What’s clear is that the 2028 race is no longer about one clear successor—it’s becoming a bare-knuckle brawl for the soul of MAGA.
And Steve Bannon just laced up his gloves.
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