Steve Bannon Refuses to Confirm He'll Accept Midterm Election Results While Defending His Prison Record During Heated Debate With Chris Cuomo

NewsNation host Chris Cuomo and former White House strategist Steve Bannon clashed during a televised town hall after Bannon refused to say whether he would accept a GOP wipeout in November's midterm elections.

The debate went personal when Bannon defended his prison record, and Cuomo quickly hit back with a fact-check.

The heated exchange took place on Tuesday, October 13, as the two debated election results, President Donald Trump and the controversy surrounding federal immigration agents at polling places.

ESPN host and political commentator Stephen A. Smith co-hosted the debate, which included audience questions.

Cuomo asked Bannon whether he would accept the certified results if Republicans lost in competitive red states such as Texas and North Carolina.

Bannon refused to give a definitive answer and responded, “We have to first off — let’s have the election first.”

Cuomo challenged the cryptic response, but the former Trump adviser stood his ground, saying Republicans were focused on winning, not a potential loss.

Bannon parroted Trump's debunked allegations about 2020 presidential election interference, stating: “They certified an illegitimate election in 2020.”

The claim drew boos from members of the town hall audience, and Cuomo challenged Bannon to explain who had established that the election was illegitimate.

Bannon dodged the challenge and shifted the conversation to his criminal charges related to his role in the White House and the presidential elections.

When speaking on his criminal charges, Bannon said, “I went to prison for that. I’m proud I went to prison for that,” seemingly referring to the 2020 presidential election claims.

However, Cuomo immediately pointed out that Bannon had been imprisoned for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena, not for proving election fraud.

Bannon served four months in federal prison in 2024 after being convicted of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

He insisted that the sentence was about the “2020 election " and that he refused to submit to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“You wouldn't bend the knee to democracy,” Cuomo fired back.

Bannon defended the idea of immigration enforcement agents monitoring polling locations, arguing it was important for preventing noncitizens from voting.

Cuomo challenged his assertion, warning ICE at the polls could intimidate eligible voters and criticizing how immigration enforcement has been carried out around the country.

Throughout the exchange, Bannon declined to give Cuomo the clear commitment he wanted about whether he would accept a Republican defeat in November.

Republicans are facing fierce competition from Democrats in seats that were previously considered safe, as they have to defend a president currently polling at the lowest level of his political career.