Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Steve Bannon and Matt Gaetz Talk '4000 Shock Troops' to Take Over the Government—and It's Chilling AF

Steve Bannon and Matt Gaetz Talk '4000 Shock Troops' to Take Over the Government—and It's Chilling AF
@thetonymichaels/Twitter

At all levels, the Republican party has continued to embrace the idea of a militarized overthrow of the United States government to install a far-right regime.

Right-wing representatives Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia have both cited the spilling of blood as necessary to regain what they believe to be freedom. Far-right Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio compared the "battle" against Democrats to the battle against Nazis and slavery in America's past. Republican Senator of Ted Cruz wouldn't rule out an eventual secession of Texas from the Union.


The rhetoric is even more incendiary at the local level, with Northampton County Executive candidate Steve Lynch calling for the help of "20 strong men" to storm local school boards and forcibly remove members from their positions.

And this past week, far-right Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida—who's currently at the center of a child sex trafficking investigation—appeared with white nationalist Steve Bannon, where the pair fantasized about "4,000 shock troops" occupying government positions as soon as a Republican takes office.

Watch below.

Gaetz told Bannon:

"People didn't like that Donald Trump raised his voice but sometimes you've got to raise your voice to raise a ruckus and to raise an army of patriots who love this country and will fight for her. We're going to operationalize the performance to go right after the people who are imposing the vaccine mandates, who are enriching themselves and who are selling out the country."

Bannon agreed:

"Understand, this is a theory of governing. It's fresh and it's new. This is Trumpism in power. That's when we went to the 4,000 shock troops we have to have that's going to man the government. Get them ready now. Right? We're going to hit the beach with the landing teams and the beachhead teams and all that nomenclature they use when President Trump wins in 2024 -- or before. You're going to have those as the 4,000 political appointees ... No more powderpuff derby. This is going to be hardcore accountability at every [congressional] committee."

Gaetz responded:

"Yes, and we're going to go after this administrative state and we're going to start at the Department of Justice and the FBI. That's the job I want. You know, send me over to the Judiciary Committee and their sphincters will tighten because they have been doing a lot of corrupt things over there."

This is at least the second time Bannon has invoked the idea of "shock troops." This past October, while speaking to a conservative social club, Bannon insisted they were necessary to "take over the administrative state and deconstruct it" the second a Republican takes office.

The rhetoric raised eyebrows on social media.






People are demanding something be done.



Bannon is currently in litigation after being charged with contempt of Congress for his refusal to answer questions about his involvement in the January 6 insurrection.

More from News

Trump Just Gave A Bonkers Excuse For Why He Shared An AI Image Of Himself As Jesus—And Nobody's Buying It
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Antonio Masiello/Getty Images

Trump Just Gave A Bonkers Excuse For Why He Shared An AI Image Of Himself As Jesus—And Nobody's Buying It

After Pope Leo XVI criticized President Donald Trump's war with Iran, Trump called him "weak" in a post on Truth Social, credited himself for Leo's selection as pope, and even went so far as to post an AI-generated image of himself as Jesus Christ.

Last week, the Pope called on the world "to reject war, especially a war which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything."

Keep ReadingShow less
Drew Barrymore reacts during an emotional “Scared to Wear” segment
@thedrewbarrymoreshow/TikTok

Drew Barrymore Gets Emotional Talking About Her Post-Pregnancy Body Insecurities—And Fans Are Applauding Her Candor

In an emotional segment titled “Scared to Wear,” Drew Barrymore opened up about her insecurities with disarming honesty. The actor and host is a mother of two daughters, Olive, 13, and Frankie, 11, whom she shares with ex-husband Will Kopelman.

During a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Barrymore became visibly emotional while speaking with a viewer undergoing a style makeover after struggling with self-image.

Keep ReadingShow less
NASA Chief Responds To 10-Year-Old's Adorable Letter Asking For Pluto To Be Reclassified As A Planet
RONALDO SCHEMIDT / Contributor/Getty Images; @latestinspace/X

NASA Chief Responds To 10-Year-Old's Adorable Letter Asking For Pluto To Be Reclassified As A Planet

Those of us who were in school prior to 2006 would be able to recite an acronym or saying that lists the order of the planets in our solar system, such as "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Peaches".

That old saying officially became outdated in 2006, when the final planet in that saying, Pluto, was officially declassified by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), and was thus no longer considered a planet.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter/YouTube

Fans Defend Sabrina Carpenter Once Again After New Video Sparks Backlash For Being Too 'Sexual'

When it comes to controversy, the heir apparent to "Queen of Pop" Madonna couldn't be clearer: Sabrina Carpenter.

Carpenter has repeatedly been at the center of the exact same angry debates we had four decades ago about Madonna: When a woman is overtly sexual in her work, is she liberating women or shackling them?

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Pope Leo
Radio Genoa

MAGA Melts Down After 'Woke' Pope Leo Urges The World To 'Search Always For Peace'

MAGA followers were not happy with Pope Leo XIV and accused him of being "woke" after he, in remarks to reporters, implored "people of good will" to "search always for peace."

The Pope spoke out after President Donald Trump insisted that God supports his war on Iran and declared—before a provisional ceasefire was announced—that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" ahead of a deadline to bomb Iran’s power plants and bridges that legal scholars and world leaders have said would constitute war crimes.

Keep ReadingShow less