Steve Bannon Is Building Trump’s Election Emergency | First Draft w/ Media Matter's Angelo Carusone

Donald Trump and his MAGA media allies are already laying the groundwork to undermine the November midterm elections. Media Matters President Angelo Carusone joins Susan J. Demas on First Draft to expose the three-step strategy being promoted by Steve Bannon and the right-wing media ecosystem: manufacture an election crisis, declare a national emergency, and use executive power to interfere with voting. They also examine the dismantling of federal election safeguards, the possibility of ICE agents appearing at polling locations, Bannon’s renewed influence inside Trump’s orbit, and the threat posed by Todd Blanche’s potential control of the Justice Department. The election will not be the end of this fight. It may only be the end of the first act. 00:00 Trump’s Plan to Undermine the Midterms 01:25 Lindsey Graham’s “Sidekick Syndrome” 04:47 How Graham Manipulated the Mainstream Media 08:01 The Collapse of Traditional Media Gatekeepers 12:06 Steve Bannon’s Election Strategy 14:17 The Three-Step National Emergency Plan 18:28 Trump Has Removed the “Adults in the Room” 21:01 The White House Is Being Run by the Comments Section 24:38 Could ICE Agents Seize Ballot Boxes? 26:16 How Americans Can Prepare for the Fight 30:14 The 2020 Election Was a Dress Rehearsal 31:55 Steve Bannon’s Renewed White House Influence 36:11 Making Authoritarianism More Palatable 38:13 How Dangerous Could Attorney General Todd Blanche Be? 42:02 Blanche’s Loyalty to Trump 43:11 MAGA Has Not Settled on Its Election Villain #DonaldTrump #SteveBannon #Midterms #ElectionInterference #AngeloCarusone #SusanDemas #MediaMatters #FirstDraft #LincolnSquare