Bannon vows to have Musk "run out" of the White House
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Former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon at an event in National Harbor, Maryland, last February. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Steve Bannon will "do anything" to keep Elon Musk out of the incoming administration, the former Trump White House adviser said in a new interview.
Why it matters: The conservative media firebrand's comments to Corriere della Sera about the tech billionaire whom Trump has tapped to co-lead the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) mark an escalation in a MAGA-world civil war over immigration as the president-elect prepares to begin his second term.
What he's saying: "I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day" on Jan. 20, Bannon told the Italian outlet, per excerpts from the interview published in English by Bannon's former employer Breitbart over the weekend.
- "He will not have full access to the White House. He will be like any other person," Bannon said.
- "He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down."
Driving the news: The MAGA-world division emerged last month over the H-1B visa scheme that's designed to attract skilled foreign workers to the U.S. and which the South African-born naturalized U.S. citizen Musk has said he held.
- Some in MAGA world want to restrict immigration and promote U.S. workers, but Axios' Ben Berkowitz and Zachary Basu note others want to cut costs and increase efficiency, regardless of who does the work.
- Musk branded Republicans opposed to the scheme "hateful, unrepentant racists" following anti-Indian rhetoric online in relation to the scheme, and Trump publicly backed the world's richest person over the visas.
- "This thing of the H-1B visas, it's about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious," said Bannon in his interview, adding that Musk's "sole objective is to become a trillionaire."
- Bannon said Musk "should go back" to South Africa. "Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?" he said.
Zoom out: Musk donated millions of dollars to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign after endorsing him in July following the assassination attempt on the Republican leader at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
- Musk has said he voted for Democrats Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden in previous presidential elections.
- Bannon cast doubt on Musk's intentions during his interview.
- "He will do anything to make sure that any one of his companies is protected or has a better deal or he makes more money," he said. His aggregation of wealth, and then — through wealth — power: that's what he's focused on."
Between the lines: Trump fired Bannon during his first administration. However, the "War Room" podcast host remains an influential figure in MAGA world.
- Bannon was released from prison in October after serving a four-month sentence on contempt of Congress charges for refusing to comply with a subpoena related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
- Representatives for Musk's companies, Bannon and Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' requests for comment in the evening.
Go deeper: Reality bites: Trump and Musk pare back promises as inauguration approaches
