The feud between Elon Musk and former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has reportedly escalated sharply this week, with the billionaire tech mogul launching a blistering attack on his one-time ally, calling Bannon a “fat, drunken slob” and predicting he will “go back to prison” for what he called a lifetime of crimes.
The confrontation traces back to a broader rift within the populist movement.
Musk—who briefly served in the Trump White House as an informal efficiency czar—is at odds with Bannon after publicly rejecting Trump’s second-term economic agenda and even proposing the formation of a new political “America Party” to challenge the GOP.
On X, the social platform he owns, Musk posted: “The fat, drunken slob called Bannon will go back to prison and this time for a long time. He has a lifetime of crime to pay for.”
The post underscored a personal animosity, with Musk referencing Bannon’s recent conviction for defying a congressional subpoena related to the Jan. 6 investigation.
Bannon, in turn, has launched a scathing counterattack, accusing Musk of being an “illegal immigrant parasitic” who fails to deliver for working-class voters.
On his War Room podcast, Bannon suggested Musk deserved deportation and alleged his political meddling as self-serving.
The friction between the two figures reveals deeper fractures in the conservative coalition.
Musk distanced himself from Trump’s plans for additional government spending, even threatening to fund primary challenges against Republicans who back the “big, beautiful” economic bill.
Bannon, meanwhile, has hardened his allegiance to Trump, calling for investigations into Musk’s federal contracts, alleged drug use, and possible Chinese connections.
This public confrontation marks a striking clash among Trump insiders—bringing attention to intraparty conflicts over priorities ranging from fiscal discipline to media strategy.
Bannon has gone so far as to threaten deportation, while Musk continues to wage his offensive from his virtual soapbox on X.
Analysts say the feud reflects a broader realignment in American conservatism. Musk’s emergence as a populist intellectual and challenger of establishment Republican policy has positioned him in direct opposition to hardline MAGA loyalists like Bannon, who view him as a disruptive interloper.
With the 2026 midterms on the horizon and Trump’s influence still polarizing the right, the clash between Musk and Bannon offers a preview of the ideological battles shaping the GOP’s future.
Whether their verbal sparring will deepen fractures or simply fade into the noise of political theater remains to be seen.
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