Conflict in the Trump camp Steve Bannon wants to "bring down bad people" Elon Musk
A billionaire with "the maturity of a child"? Steve Bannon has lashed out with pithy words against Trump supporter Elon Musk. In an interview, he even announced that Musk should be kicked out.
13.01.2025, 20:53
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- Negative sentiment in the camp of US President-elect Donald Trump: former campaign strategist Steve Bannon has lashed out at Elon Musk in an interview.
- One of the many accusations is that Musk only has his own interests at heart.
- According to Bannon, however, he is not in a position to "make demands". What's more, Bannon announced that he wanted to "bring Musk down".
Steve Bannon, former campaign strategist for Donald Trump and representative of the ultra-right in the US, is increasingly stirring up trouble against tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk has invested millions and used his Platform X to help Trump return to the White House - and is now considered a close advisor to the future US president.
In recent days,Bannon has made it clear in his podcast "War Room" and in two interviews that he has nothing against Musk's multi-million dollar support for Trump and that he hopes for similar support for ultra-right movements in Europe. At the same time, he made it clear what he believes should not follow from this: too much influence from Musk on the new US government.
"He has the maturity of a child"
"He deserves his seat at the table. But the seat at the table doesn't have to be the head of the table, and it certainly doesn't mean making demands or giving orders," Bannon said in a "War Room" episode last week.
In the Italian daily "Corriere della Sera", Bannon questioned not only Musk's ability to understand problems, but also his intentions. "He has the maturity of a child," said Bannon.
He also said that the people around Trump had had enough of the tech billionaire. "We've seen how pushy he is, how little he understands the real issues and how much he only cares about his own advantage. His only goal is to become a trillionaire."
Bannon wants to ensure Musk's ouster
It is not only the influence of Musk and other billionaires from the tech industry that is a thorn in Bannon's side - he is also bothered by the fact that they are against illegal immigration, but want to bring foreign IT specialists to the USA at all costs. Bannon and other representatives of the ultra-right want these jobs to be reserved for locals too. Musk himself came to America from South Africa.
In the "Corriere" interview, Bannon went so far as to describe it as a personal mission to stop Musk. "I have made it my personal mission to bring this guy down," said Bannon. He wanted to prevent Musk from gaining full access to the White House. What's more: the Tesla boss is an "evil person".
How important is Bannon for Trump?
However, it is questionable how much influence Bannon still has on Trump. The Washington Post points out that several Trump advisors have recently been guests on his podcast and that Bannon is also said to have visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But it is Musk who has been constantly seen at Trump's side since the election. The Republican has appointed Musk as an external adviser on cutting government spending.
Like Musk in 2024, Bannon was considered a decisive factor in Trump's election victory in 2016. In the White House, Trump made the right-wing publicist his chief strategist, but he only remained in government headquarters until the summer of 2017. A few months later, Bannon's statements about Trump's family led to a major rift. Apart from that, however, Bannon remained loyal to Trump - and Trump has repeatedly expressed his appreciation for Bannon's support.
