June 6, 2025 - 5:50pm
Steve Bannon has claimed that Elon Musk is a “Chinese agent” and should be considered a national security risk.
In a fiery interview with UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers, Bannon pointed to Musk’s extensive business dealings in China — particularly Tesla’s Shanghai Gigafactory — as evidence of alignment with the CCP. “He’s lock, stock, and barrel with the Chinese Communist Party,” Bannon declared, citing the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal reports detailing Musk’s close ties to Beijing.
The War Room podcast host further alleged Musk has consistently promoted CCP interests, including attempting to arrange a visit by President Xi Jinping to Trump’s inauguration and forcing his way into a Pentagon briefing on classified U.S. war plans against China. “Why does Musk need to know our strategic plans for Taiwan, especially with an imminent threat?” Bannon asked, referencing statements from the Defence Secretary about a potential PLA attack.
The remarks come amid a public falling-out between Musk and Trump, highlighting tensions within the MAGA coalition. In the last 24 hours, the two men have sparred online after Musk criticised Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill. “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51–49 in the Senate,” Musk posted on X. “Such ingratitude,” he added.
Bannon, a longtime critic of Musk, escalated his attacks in the interview. Suggesting Musk had “crossed the Rubicon,” the former White House adviser accused him of sabotaging Trump’s agenda by lobbying CEOs against the President’s tariff policies. “He came in and tried to be destructive,” Bannon said.
The MAGA figure doubled down on this point by criticising Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying: “He promised $2 trillion in cuts, then $1 trillion, then $160 billion — where’s the money?” He added that this failure resulted in a physical altercation in the West Wing, claiming Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Musk over DOGE’s unmet promises. “People felt that day that Elon might have been on drugs,” Bannon said.
Responding to Musk’s reported insult — calling Bannon a “communist retard” — he dismissed it as childish, stressing his own leadership in anti-CCP efforts. “I’m the only civilian sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party,” Bannon said, framing Musk’s actions as a betrayal of Trump’s trust. He returned fire, suggesting that Musk was an illegal immigrant by overstaying his visa. “I strongly believe that he’s here illegally, that he lied on all his applications and visas, and that if that’s the case, he has to be deported immediately,” Bannon claimed.
Despite the rift, Bannon denied this was a personal victory, insisting the focus was national security. He acknowledged a broader philosophical battle within MAGA between populist nationalism and libertarian “tech bro” values, but maintained the movement is ascendant. Bannon was adamant: “It’s a great day.”
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