Split between MAGA factions widen as Bannon attacks Musk
Plus, GOP House speaker in Kansas bars reporters from legislature’s chamber floor
Speaking to an Italian newspaper, one-time chief strategist and Trump svengali Steve Bannon railed against the influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk on the incoming administration. The dispute began over the holidays when Musk voiced his support for H1B visas, a specific type of visa that allows for foreign workers with expertise in a “specialty occupation” like medicine or tech to work in the United States legally.
The conflict arose over criticism over Trump’s appointment of Sriram Krishnan to help oversee the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Krishnan has called for bringing in highly trained workers from other countries via H1B visas, and Musk sought to defend the program from xenophobic disparagement.
“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns.
“Take a big step back and F— YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
Bannon — and the more vocally anti-immigrant constituency he represents — erupted with disapproval over the thought that more migrant workers would be permitted into the country. However, Trump ultimately sided with Musk on the issue, calling himself a “believer” in H1B visas.
That would seem to have settled the matter, but Bannon appears to have been simmering over the disagreement ever since.
"I will get Elon Musk kicked out by the time he's inaugurated. He won't have a blue pass with full access to the White House. He'll be like everyone else," Bannon told Corriere della Sera, an Italian publication based out of Milan, last Wednesday. "He's a truly evil person. Stopping him has become a personal issue for me. Before, since he's put in so much money, I was prepared to tolerate it. Not anymore."
Ironically, Bannon, not known for his social justice bonafides, framed his opposition around broader inequality, claiming that domestic Black and Hispanic workers aren’t able to access the kind of lucrative tech jobs that H1B visas recruit for. Bannon also mocked Musk — and the broader tech gurus that have surrounded Trump as his second administration looms — for not being from the United States.
“Peter Thiel, David Sachs, Elon Musk are all white South Africans…” Bannon said. “[Musk] should go back to South Africa. Why do we have white South Africans, the most racist people in the world, commenting on everything that happens in the United States?”
As Kansas lawmakers prepare to begin their first legislative sessions of 2025, the Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R-Wichita) has reportedly banned journalists from the chamber floor. The ban echoes a similar rule imposed by Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson in 2022.
Hawkins declined requests from local outlets to comment or explain the decision, though when confronted at the statehouse entrance, told journalists that they would still be permitted to report from the public gallery that hangs above the chamber floor. The move by Hawkins is unsurprising given his long track record of hostilities towards the press.
“Reporters having access to the debate and proceedings in real-time makes reporting more accurate and transparent,” Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, told the Kansas Reflector.
“The press serves a vital function in our system of government. We’re more than mere spectators. We’re a surrogate for citizens who don’t have the time to witness the inner workings of the Legislature. To limit our access, you’re limiting the access of those who rely on us to cover the news.”
Payton Lacey, Hawkins’ spokeswoman, provided journalists with more explicit details last Friday.
“During session, members of the media should remain in the East Gallery for reporting, to take pictures, and video, unless stationed along the North, East, and/or South walls of the Chamber to take photographs only,” the document provided by Lacey states. “No media is allowed on the West side of the Chambers while the House is in session, which includes the Staff Desk area. TV and regular cameras can be stationed along the back (East) wall or in the East Gallery only.”
The document justifies these restrictions by claiming they are for “safety purposes.”