Steve Bannon is turning up the heat on Elon Musk, calling the tech billionaire “racist” and a “truly evil guy” in a fiery interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Published on Wednesday, Bannon promised to push Musk out of President-elect Donald Trump’s inner circle before the upcoming inauguration.
“He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House,” Bannon declared, vowing to make Musk “like any other person.”
Bannon’s outrage seems to stem from Musk’s outspoken support of the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers with specialized skills. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) last month, Musk described H-1B immigrants as “critical” to the success of tech-driven companies like Tesla and SpaceX, going so far as to claim he was once an H-1B visa holder himself.
However, Musk’s personal account has been called into question. A Washington Post investigation from October alleged that Musk began his career in the U.S. on a student visa that had lapsed, not an H-1B.
Bannon, like other anti-immigrant Trump allies, has fiercely opposed the H-1B program, which he described as corrupt during the interview. “The tech overlords use the H-1B system to game the entire immigration process to their advantage. The people are furious,” Bannon said.
This sharp policy disagreement isn’t the only source of tension. Bannon made it clear that his disdain for Musk goes beyond immigration. “He’s a truly evil guy, a very bad guy,” Bannon said, adding that he had once been willing to tolerate Musk because of his financial contributions but has since had a change of heart. “I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
Trump, for now, appears to side with Musk on the H-1B debate, recently calling the visa system a “great program” in an interview with the New York Post. Musk’s relationship with Trump has only deepened since the billionaire played a pivotal role in Trump’s re-election campaign, reportedly donating $277 million and using his platform, X, to generate positive public sentiment for the Republican leader.
Musk’s contributions have earned him an unofficial advisory position in the next Trump administration, but recent reports suggest his presence is starting to wear thin. Journalist Maggie Haberman of The New York Times revealed on the “On with Kara Swisher” podcast that Trump has begun to grow frustrated with Musk. “Trump does complain a bit to people about how Musk is around a lot,” Haberman said.
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