President-elect Donald Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon has launched a scathing attack on billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk, suggesting he is “going back to South Africa.”
In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Mr. Bannon expressed his disapproval of Mr. Musk's involvement in American politics. “Why would South Africans, the most racist people on earth, white South Africans, make any comments about what's going on in the United States,” Bannon said, according to a translation of the interview by The Washington Post. Is that so?” he said.
Mr. Bannon's comments underscored growing anxiety in Mr. Trump's circle about the extent of influence Mr. Musk could wield during his second term.
The Tesla CEO has emerged as a prominent supporter of President Trump's political ambitions, donating more than $277 million to Republican campaigns in the 2024 election.
The conflict centers on Musk's appointment, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, to co-head the proposed new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE is tasked with streamlining government operations, but its lack of formal authority raises questions.
Bannon, a vocal critic of immigration and globalism policies, sees Musk's advocacy for skilled worker visas as a direct threat to his nationalist vision. He accused the entrepreneur of promoting “global technological feudalism” that puts Silicon Valley profits above American workers.
Tensions over immigration policy erupted in December 2024, when far-right activists and technology company leaders clashed over a visa program that allows foreign professionals to work in the United States. While Bannon and his allies criticized these efforts as harmful to American jobs, Mr. Musk defended them as essential to maintaining the country's technological edge.
On Christmas Day, Musk reiterated his position on If you want that, you need to do the following.” Our goal is to hire top talent wherever they are. ”
No, we need twice as many as yesterday!
There are far too few highly talented and highly motivated engineers in the United States.
Think of it like a professional sports team. For your team to win championships, you need to recruit top talent from everywhere.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 25, 2024
Bannon also criticized Musk's access to the White House and called for his privileges to be revoked. The Wall Street Journal reported in December 2024 that Musk now holds top secret classified information, despite concerns over international relations leading to questions about his access to classified information.
Bannon, who played a key role in Trump's first presidential campaign and briefly served as a senior adviser before resigning, told an Italian newspaper that he would “do whatever it takes” to keep Musk out of the White House.
Despite serving a prison sentence for contempt of Congress, Bannon remains a prominent figure in right-wing media through his popular podcast and frequent appearances at Trump-related events.
