• Bannon implied he'll continue to help Trump's campaign while serving sentence

Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon says the 'MAGA army' is working to secure the ex-President's victory over Joe Biden and his return to the White House.

Bannon is scheduled to report to a federal prison in Connecticut today to serve a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.

The former White House chief strategist says he is not concerned about serving time during the crucial stages of Donald Trump's campaign, telling the BBC that the Republican's supporter's 'can't and won't stop until final victory'.

He also implied that he will continue to help Trump's campaign while he serves his sentence, though it is not clear how he plans to do so behind bars.  

'I've served my country now for the last 10 or so years focusing on this,' Bannon told the broadcaster of the MAGA movement. 'If I have to do it in a prison, I do it in a prison - it makes no difference at all.'

Bannon, in an interview with the BBC, said 'I'm ready to go' and 'I'm all set up' as he prepares to serve his prison sentence.

He intends to broadcast a final episode of his War Room TV show and podcast - which he describes as a 'military command centre for MAGA' - from outside the prison gates today before turning himself into authorities.

Bannon reiterated that his show will remain on the air while he serves his sentences, alleging he has arranged for other hosts to present the program alongside his regular contributors. 

He remains confident that Trump will be re-elected in November and said he is sure the GOP candidate from 'day one' will work to 'stop the invasion' of the US border and start the 'mass deportation of 10 to 15 million illegal alien invaders'.

He claims the former President will then focus on the economy, retaining the tax cuts from his first term which largely benefited corporations and wealthy individuals.

Bannon claimed Trump would then end the 'forever wars' in Ukraine and Gaza, but did not explain how he would do so.

He also shared that a second Trump administration would target the former President's political enemies, especially those who were involved in the criminal proceedings against Trump.

Additionally, Bannon argued that it is 'impossible' for Biden to win re-election in November and warned that neither he nor the 'MAGA army' would accept the results if he did. 

The remark comes after he recently told a revved-up crowd of Trump supporters the the upcoming election will result in 'victory or death' 

A judge had allowed Bannon to stay free for nearly two years while he appealed his case, but ordered him to report to prison today after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions.

The Supreme Court rejected his last-minute appeal to stave off his sentence.

A jury found Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the January 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in the Republican ex-president's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Defense attorneys have argued the case raises issues that should be examined by the Supreme Court, including Bannon's previous lawyer's belief that the subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege. Prosecutors, though, say Bannon had left the White House years before and Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee.

Bannon's appeal will continue to play out, and Republican House leaders have put their support behind stepping in to assert the January 6 committee was improperly created, effectively trying to deem the subpoena Bannon received as illegitimate.

Another Trump aide, trade adviser Peter Navarro, has also been convicted of contempt of Congress. He reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence after the Supreme Court refused his bid to delay the sentence.

Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state court alleging he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges, and that trial has been postponed until at least the end of September.