Twitter bans Steve Bannon after calling for beheadings of Fauci, FBI director

Bannon, the president's former chief strategist, said he'd go beyond firing them. He'd 'put their heads on pikes.'

Nov 6, 2020

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, a former advisor to President Donald Trump, has been permanently suspended from Twitter after calling for the beheading of NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Bannon made the unthinkable remarks on his podcast, War Room, which was broadcast in video form, also earning Bannon a suspension from YouTube.

Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon exits the Manhattan Federal Court in August. Bannon and three other defendants have been indicted for allegedly defrauding donors in a $25 million border wall fundraising campaign. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

“Second term kicks off with firing Wray, firing Fauci… no, I actually want to go a step farther, but the president is a kind-hearted man, and a good man,” he said.

“I’d actually like to go back to the old times of Tudor England,” continued Bannon. “I’d put their heads on pikes, right? I’d put them at the two corners of the White House as a warning to federal bureaucrats, you either get with the program or you’re gone. Time to stop playing games.”

According to a CBS News report, a Twitter spokesperson said that the suspension was because the content of Bannon’s post violated the site’s rules due to “the glorification of violence.”

“We have policies in place that address clear threats of violence, abuse and harassment and hateful conduct,” said the Twitter staffer. “If we identify any accounts or content that violate these rules, we’ll take enforcement action.”

Facebook, however, left the Bannon video up for more than 10 hours. During that time, it was viewed nearly 200,000 times. It was not removed until late Thursday for violating the site’s policy on violence and incitement.

Bannon was the White House’s chief strategist for the first seven months of the Trump administration.

He was arrested in August on charges that he and three others committed mail fraud and money laundering by convincing Trump supporters to donate to a fund called “We Build the Wall,” which was supposed to support building additional fencing on the nation’s southern border with Mexico. The organization raised more than $25 million.

In addition to his roles in right-wing politics, including as the former head of Breitbart, Bannon has also produced more than a dozen right-leaning films and documentaries.

Bannon’s comments come at a time when police agencies across the nation are on heightened alert after increased threats of violence in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, largely due to the rise of armed right-wing groups.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!