Bannon: ‘Zero’ doubt Trump will run for reelection

Former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon said in an interview broadcast Sunday that he has “zero” doubt that President Trump will run for reelection in 2020, but cautioned the release of the special counsel’s report could shake up the political landscape.

“I happen to think now, the president is going to run again in 2020 and I think he’ll win. I think he’ll win bigger than he won in 2016,” Bannon said on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” citing the strong economy.

“But … I believe that we’re going to enter into an extraordinary time in American politics,” he added. “We’ve allowed the Democrats, because they take control of the House, to weaponize a whole bunch of investigations. They’ve been — They’re going to be able to weaponize the Mueller report, 2019 is going to be quite vitriolic.”

{mosads}Trump has given every indication he plans to run for reelection in 2020. He held his first campaign rally of 2019 in El Paso, Texas, earlier this month, and has tweeted regularly about Democratic efforts to unseat him next year.

A steadily growing field of Democratic challengers has taken shape in recent weeks. Among those who have declared their candidacy or formed exploratory committees are Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) are among those expected to decide on a 2020 bid in the coming weeks.

Bannon, who served in a top role on Trump’s 2016 campaign, left the White House in the summer of 2017. He and Trump later had a falling out after Bannon was quoted extensively in the book “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” including instances in which he criticized the president’s family.