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https://fortune.com/2025/01/13/steve-bannon-elon-musk-political-influence-personal-mission-trump/
President-elect Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon attacked Elon Musk and vowed to try and curb his influence over the incoming administration.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Bannon took aim at Musk’s views on the hotly debated H-1B immigration visa for highly skilled workers and the influence his companies exert over U.S politics. Bannon sprinkled in several personal barbs, alleging Musk had the “maturity of a little boy.”
“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy,” Bannon said. “I made it my personal thing to take this guy down. Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it; I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.”
The theme of the interview was Bannon’s displeasure over Musk’s proximity to Trump and his White House staff. Bannon said he wanted to limit Musk’s access to the White House in a second Trump administration, vowing to do so by Inauguration Day.
Bannon also questioned Musk’s presence in U.S. politics on the grounds that he was not born in the country. “He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have white South Africans, the most racist people on earth, making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States.”
Bannon and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Musk has denied accusations of racism in the past, including as recently as last week. On Friday in replying to an X post about anti-white racism, Musk wrote that “racism of any kind is unacceptable, except when I do it..”
President-elect Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon attacked Elon Musk and vowed to try and curb his influence over the incoming administration.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Bannon took aim at Musk’s views on the hotly debated H-1B immigration visa for highly skilled workers and the influence his companies exert over U.S politics. Bannon sprinkled in several personal barbs, alleging Musk had the “maturity of a little boy.”
“He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy,” Bannon said. “I made it my personal thing to take this guy down. Before, because he put money in, I was prepared to tolerate it; I’m not prepared to tolerate it anymore.”
The theme of the interview was Bannon’s displeasure over Musk’s proximity to Trump and his White House staff. Bannon said he wanted to limit Musk’s access to the White House in a second Trump administration, vowing to do so by Inauguration Day.
Bannon also questioned Musk’s presence in U.S. politics on the grounds that he was not born in the country. “He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have white South Africans, the most racist people on earth, making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States.”
Bannon and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Musk has denied accusations of racism in the past, including as recently as last week. On Friday in replying to an X post about anti-white racism, Musk wrote that “racism of any kind is unacceptable, except when I do it..”
