Steve Bannon Declares War on Elon Musk, Citing Rift Over Immigration Policies

[Social Media]

 

In a surprising escalation of tensions, Steve Bannon, the right-wing podcaster and former adviser to Donald Trump, has vowed to oust billionaire Elon Musk, a high-profile Trump ally, from political influence by the president-elect’s upcoming inauguration.  

 

Bannon, who served as CEO of Trump’s 2016 campaign and as a key figure in his first administration, has been a vocal critic of Musk despite their shared allegiance to Trump. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, donated over $250 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign and has been appointed to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.  

 

In a recent interview with Italy’s *Corriere della Sera*, Bannon lashed out at Musk, calling him “a truly evil guy, a very bad guy,” and vowed to “run Musk out of here by Inauguration Day.” He added, “He will not have a blue pass to the White House, he will not have full access to the White House, he will be like any other person.”  

 

This clash stems from Musk’s support of the H-1B visa program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers in specialized fields. Trump has aligned with Musk on this issue, putting him at odds with Bannon and other Make America Great Again (MAGA) loyalists, who have long advocated for stricter immigration controls.  

 

Bannon’s remarks come in the wake of controversy over Trump’s appointment of Indian-born entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as a senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence (AI). Conservative activist Laura Loomer criticized the decision, reigniting debates about the influence of immigration policies within the MAGA movement.  

 

Musk, a South African native who became a U.S. citizen, has publicly defended legal migration, citing his own experience with the H-1B program. In December, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his views, writing, “The reason I'm in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla, and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”

 

Bannon responded by sharing a screenshot of Musk’s post on Gettr, mocking him with the caption, “Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler.”

 

Musk’s reliance on the H-1B program, both personally and professionally, has fueled criticism from MAGA stalwarts like Bannon and Loomer. Bannon has accused Musk and his tech allies, including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, of exploiting the immigration system for personal gain.

 

This deepening rift among Trump’s allies underscores broader tensions within the Republican Party, as factions grapple with differing visions for immigration policy and economic nationalism. As the inauguration approaches, the fallout from this feud may have lasting implications for Trump’s second administration and its approach to both governance and alliances.

 

Neither Musk nor Trump’s transition team has commented on Bannon’s statements. Newsweek reached out to both parties but had not received a response.

 

Based on a report by Newsweek 2024-01-14

 

 

 

 

[mrwebb8825]

Bannon needs to step back and take a breath. W/O the H-1B, crops don't get picked, resorts couldn't staff up for the season, the tech sector would lose valuable people, etc.

Until Americans are being displaced by foreign workers, he needs to refocus his diatribe on issues that are hurting America. If he must attack people/companies then he should start from the top down:

 

Here's a rundown of the top 20 companies as listed by the number of H-1B petitions for initial employment the U.S. approved in fiscal-year 2024, according to NFAP: 

Amazon. The e-commerce company had the most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in 2024, with 3,871. That figure was down from more than 4,000 H-1B visas in 2023 and nearly 6,400 in 2022.

Cognizant. The information technology services firm had the second most H-1B petitions approved in 2024, tallying 2,837. 

Infosys. The digital services and consulting company had 2,504 petitions approved in fiscal-year 2024.

TCS. Tata Consultancy Services ranked forth, with 1,452. 

IBM. The technology company nicknamed Big Blue tallied 1,348 petitions.

Microsoft. The technology conglomerate saw 1,264 petitions approved.

HCL America. The computer programming solutions provider had 1,248 approved H-1B visas.

Google. The search engine ranked No. 8, with 1,058 H-1Bs.

Capgemini. The information technology company accounted for 1,041 H-1B visas last 2024.

Meta Platforms. Formerly known as Facebook, Meta was behind 920 approved petitions.

Deloitte. The audit and tax consultancy company had 891 petitions approved. 

Apple. The iPhone and laptop maker accounted for 864.

Intel. The semiconductor company's count came to 851.

Accenture. The IT company garnered approval for 833 petitions.

LTIMindtree. The global technology consultancy counted 798.

Tesla. The electric car maker had 742 petitions approved.

Ernst & Young. The accounting firm tallied 741.

Goldman Sachs. The investment bank and financial services firm garnered 678.

Wipro. The IT services provider's tally came to 609.

Walmart. The retailing giant is behind 654 approved H-1B petitions.

 

Of course, if you add them all up he's complaining about less than 15K people hired in the US by the H-1B program.

[Chomper Higgot]

42 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Bannon needs to step back and take a breath. W/O the H-1B, crops don't get picked, resorts couldn't staff up for the season, the tech sector would lose valuable people, etc.

Until Americans are being displaced by foreign workers, he needs to refocus his diatribe on issues that are hurting America. If he must attack people/companies then he should start from the top down:

 

Here's a rundown of the top 20 companies as listed by the number of H-1B petitions for initial employment the U.S. approved in fiscal-year 2024, according to NFAP: 

Amazon. The e-commerce company had the most approved H-1B petitions for initial employment in 2024, with 3,871. That figure was down from more than 4,000 H-1B visas in 2023 and nearly 6,400 in 2022.

Cognizant. The information technology services firm had the second most H-1B petitions approved in 2024, tallying 2,837. 

Infosys. The digital services and consulting company had 2,504 petitions approved in fiscal-year 2024.

TCS. Tata Consultancy Services ranked forth, with 1,452. 

IBM. The technology company nicknamed Big Blue tallied 1,348 petitions.

Microsoft. The technology conglomerate saw 1,264 petitions approved.

HCL America. The computer programming solutions provider had 1,248 approved H-1B visas.

Google. The search engine ranked No. 8, with 1,058 H-1Bs.

Capgemini. The information technology company accounted for 1,041 H-1B visas last 2024.

Meta Platforms. Formerly known as Facebook, Meta was behind 920 approved petitions.

Deloitte. The audit and tax consultancy company had 891 petitions approved. 

Apple. The iPhone and laptop maker accounted for 864.

Intel. The semiconductor company's count came to 851.

Accenture. The IT company garnered approval for 833 petitions.

LTIMindtree. The global technology consultancy counted 798.

Tesla. The electric car maker had 742 petitions approved.

Ernst & Young. The accounting firm tallied 741.

Goldman Sachs. The investment bank and financial services firm garnered 678.

Wipro. The IT services provider's tally came to 609.

Walmart. The retailing giant is behind 654 approved H-1B petitions.

 

Of course, if you add them all up he's complaining about less than 15K people hired in the US by the H-1B program.

It’s a bit difficult talking sense on the matter of immigrants after spending over a decade stoking xenophobia.

 

MAGA aren’t interested, they want immigrants out, all immigrants out.

 

Bannon understands this.