Steve Bannon vows to expel Elon Musk from Trump’s orbit before Inauguration Day

In the latest report from the Worst Person You Know Just Made a Great Point, Steve Bannon recently described Elon Musk as a “really evil person” with no real ideology other than amassing and protecting his own wealth. Speaking to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Bannon said He said “Stopping him has become a personal issue for me,” he insisted, insisting it would result in Musk being kicked out of Trump’s inner circle by Inauguration Day.

Bannon is, to put it as generously as possible, a racist, misogynistic, anti-democratic vile person who has failed at almost everything he has done (except getting Trump into office, which, to be fair, is a pretty big step up in the win column there). . But he also has a pretty smart read on Musk — perhaps because no one can spot a charlatan like another charlatan — so let him cook for a minute.

in interviewBannon says the only reason Musk is friends with Trump is to protect his piles of cash. “He will do anything to make sure any of his companies are protected or have a better deal or make more money,” Bannon said. “The accumulation of his wealth, and then – through the wealth – power: that is what he focuses on.” He said Musk had no ideological standing to speak of, just “the sole goal” of “becoming a trillionaire,” and described him as a supporter of “technological feudalism on a global scale.” He also said he expects Musk to back down easily, saying, “He’s not going to fight. He’s got the maturity of a little kid.”

Bannon and Musk appear to be headed toward a direct conflict as the second Trump administration nears its start date. Musk, who now holds the chief executive position once held by Bannon, is still building a so-called “government efficiency department,” according to a new report. Report from the New York Times. While Musk likes to act like DOGE is actually a real agency on Twitter — giving it a gray “from government” verified check mark and all — the group appears to exist primarily in Signal conversations with Silicon Valley elites.

Musk is said to be asking tech executives who have expressed a desire to get their dirty hands in government to serve six six-month stints, unpaid, and working 80-hour weeks — basically Musk’s ideal arrangement for anyone in his job. Those who want to do this (the “unpaid” part is a non-starter for most, according to The New York Times) will be embedded within an agency and tasked with making recommendations on how to improve operations and reduce costs.

Just how real DOGE will ultimately be remains to be seen. Trump said he would continue to create the group, even though it would be Toothless— Able to make recommendations but little of anything else. The latest rumor in Trump world is that the president-elect is tired of Musk hanging around too much. She appears on Kara Swisher’s podcast“Musk seems more willing to piss off Trump than a lot of other people and less concerned with what that might mean,” New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said recently, calling their partnership a “fraught relationship” with “potential threat.” To become more than that.”

If Bannon wants to push Musk out the window, it sure looks like Musk wants to stick his head out of it. But it is difficult to predict where Trump might allow his loyalties to fall. Bannon has already dealt one blow in the MAGA civil war. during H-1B visa argument When he saw Musk and his tech brethren championing the tool to attract skilled immigrants, Bannon sat on the other side, He argues “The entire immigration system is manipulated by technology masters.” (His real objection comes from his own country The racist belief that there are too many Asians In the technology industry and that Undermining “civil society” But Bannon is good at reframing his positions to try to meet the moment.)

Musk won that battle with Trump Biased towards Musk He says he has always been in favor of encouraging talent to come to America. But the truth is that Musk’s usefulness to Trump may be about to end. He happily took his money while Musk threw his full weight behind Trump’s candidacy, but it’s not clear that Musk can continue to prove himself more useful than a nuisance in the actual Oval Office. Bannon may be on the outskirts of the country now, but he has real character A cockroach-like ability to survive. The real shame is that someone has to win. Either way, the rest of us lose.