During a Saturday episode of his WarRoom podcast, prominent right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon reportedly attacked billionaire Elon Musk, claiming that the world’s wealthiest man has “masters in Beijing”.
Bannon, who was the CEO of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and a White House adviser in his previous government, and Musk, who gave over a quarter billion dollars to help the president-elect cross the finish line in 2024, are two of the Republican leader’s closest associates.
However, Bannon has long questioned Musk’s economic ties to China.
The podcaster has previously referred to Musk as a “stone cold liar” and said that “his paymasters” are members of the Chinese Communist Party.
On Saturday, Bannon discussed Musk’s announcement that he will tweak the algorithm of X, formerly Twitter, to eliminate “negativity.” Musk bought X and has led the company since October 2022.
Bannon accused Musk of hypocrisy because he previously stated that X would be a beacon of free expression.
According to the right-wing podcaster, the millionaire was following the lead of the Chinese Communist Party.
China’s so-called “social credit” system has received widespread criticism in the West. Beijing’s ultimate goal is to create a master database, a blacklisting system, and a reward and punishment mechanism that can be used statewide to assess trust in society, government, the court, finance, and trade.
“Elon Musk—he can’t take a punch. And he’s certainly got a glass jaw,” Bannon said.
“He’s using a social credit score. He’s using it from his masters in Beijing—have taught him through the Shanghai joint venture, of how to use social credit scores.” he added.
Many of Bannon’s statements referred to to Musk’s business interests in China.
Musk frequently praises China’s technological advances, including its space program, infrastructure, and renewable energy.
Musk spoke out against the bipartisan financing bill that would prevent a government shutdown in December, with some politicians claiming he was opposed to it because of the clauses relating to China.
The original measure would have barred or required notification of offshore transactions involving China in industries such as semiconductors, quantum technologies, and artificial intelligence.
It would also have included a more thorough evaluation of Chinese real estate purchases near important national security locations, as well as a mandate to investigate the national security concerns posed by Chinese-made consumer modems and routers.
The final version of the law deleted all China-related sections.
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