Newly Revealed Texts Show Steve Bannon Wanted Maria Bartiromo to Run for Senate: ‘We Need U’

A stunning text message exchange between Steve Bannon and Maria Bartiromo after the 2020 election revealed that the former chief strategist to Donald Trump tried to console the “sad and scared” Fox anchor by pushing her to run for the Senate.

As part of the latest batch of documents made public in the defamation lawsuit by Dominion Voting Systems, a Nov. 10, 2020 exchange between Bartiromo and Bannon showed the Fox anchor despondent in the days after Trump’s loss.

“I am watching the world move forward. & it’s so upsetting steve,” Bartiromo wrote. “I want to see massive fraud exposed. Will he be able to turn this around. I told my team we are not allowed to say pres elect at sll (sic). Not in scripts or in banners on air. Until this moves through the courts.”

“Seventy-one million voters will never accept Biden,” Bannon ominously responded.” This process is to destroy his presidency before it starts. IF it even starts.”

“But I’m scared and sad,” Bartiromo replied.

“You are our fighter,” Bannon said. “Enough with the sad! We need u.”

This led to Bannon’s proposal for Bartiromo to take on Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

“We want you to run against Schumer, he said. “This is your moment.”

Bannon followed up by offering a breakdown for the Trump team’s strategy after the president’s election loss:

1. We either close on Trumps victory or delegitimize Biden 2. Win both seats in Georgia 3. Win back house in 2022 4. Elect u to the senate 5. IF we don’t close on Trump victory now have trump declare for 2024 the day after taking back House and your win in Nov 2022

Since the 2020 election, Bartiromo has been among the most vocal Fox Newsers pushing unsubstantiated claims that the contest was corrupted through widespread fraud. Those claims have drawn major legal scrutiny for Bartiromo, though Bannon has been vocal with his own baseless election denialism.