President Trump's longtime ally Steve Bannon has vowed to “kick” tech billionaire Elon Musk from the White House amid a heated debate over H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers. .
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Bannon made the comments about Musk, who President-elect Trump has named to co-head the Department of Government Efficiency. Mr. Bannon's former employer, Breitbart, published excerpts of the interview in English.
“We're going to get Elon Musk out of here by Inauguration Day,” said Bannon, a former adviser to President Trump. “He won't have full access to the White House. He'll be just like anyone else.”
“He's a really evil man. A very bad man,” Bannon continued. “I made it my personal goal to take down this man. Previously, I was ready to tolerate it because he put in the money, but now I’m not ready to tolerate it. I haven’t.”
Musk defends H-1B visa, fires X with profane movie quote
Steve Bannon called Musk a “truly evil man, a very bad man” and vowed to “kick” him from the White House. (Reuters/Rebecca Cook, File)
The spat between Mr. Bannon and Mr. Musk concerns immigration, specifically the H-1B visa, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign workers for specialized jobs and is overwhelmingly used in the tech industry. It appears to be about Musk's support.
“The problem with H-1B visas is that the entire immigration system has been manipulated by the tech overlords. They're using it for their own benefit, and the public is outraged.” Bannon said.
Software engineers and others in the high-tech industry rely on H-1B visas for skilled foreign workers, saying they are an important tool for hard-to-fill positions. This has long been controversial among some conservatives, who say it is being exploited by tech companies to replace American workers with cheaper labor.
Musk defended the tech industry's efforts to bring more foreign workers to the U.S. (Pool/File photo via Alison Robert/Reuters)
Mr. Musk, who was born in South Africa and previously held an H-1B visa himself, has championed the industry's push to bring in foreign workers.
“There is a permanent shortage of talented engineering talent,” he said in the post. “That's the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.”
In the wake of the online debate over H-1B visas, Musk labeled Republicans who oppose visas as “hateful, unrepentant racists” and called for a “meritocracy.” Emphasized gender.
Debate rages within the MAGA coalition, with President Trump saying he hasn't changed his mind about H-1B visas
Bannon said Musk “should go back” to South Africa.
“Why would white South Africans, the most racist people on the planet, have South Africans commenting on anything going on in the United States?” Bannon said. .
“He'll do anything to get one of his companies protected, get a better deal, make more money,” Bannon said of Musk. “His collection of wealth, and power through wealth. That's what he's focused on.”
Bannon was released in October after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress for failing to respond to a subpoena related to the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, incident at the U.S. Capitol.
Musk's influence over the incoming Trump administration remains unclear, but Trump appears to be siding with the tech billionaire on the H-1B visa issue.
“I've always loved visas, I've always supported visas, and that's why we have visas,” Trump said in an interview with the New York Post last month. “I have a lot of H-1B visas on my property. I believe in H-1B. I've used it many times. It's a great program.”
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President Trump has criticized H-1B visas in the past as “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers, even calling for “American Jobs” policies to direct changes to the program to ensure visas are granted. revealed. The highest paid or most skilled applicant.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
