“This Is Ugly, and It Promises to Get Uglier”: Elon Musk and Steve Bannon Clash in MAGA Split
Elon Musk said he was endorsing presidential candidate Donald Trump after the attempt on his life [File: Evan Vucci/AP Photo]
The escalating feud between two prominent MAGA figures—tech billionaire Elon Musk and right-wing influencer Steve Bannon—has revealed deep divisions within the movement. According to Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, the conflict is “only getting uglier” as it pits what he calls “New MAGA” against “MAGA Classic.”
“This war of words between two insufferable blowhards reveals a consequential schism in the MAGA world — and the yawning gap between MAGA rhetoric and objective reality,” Robinson wrote in his Monday opinion piece.
The friction reportedly began with Bannon’s vehement criticism of Musk’s support for the H-1B visa program, which allows tech companies to employ skilled foreign workers. Bannon, a staunch opponent of immigration, argues the program takes jobs away from Americans. Musk, on the other hand, has been an “equally fierce defender” of the visa program, which he has utilized in his own companies.
“Is Bannon’s rage simply over the fact that Musk has replaced him at the Mar-a-Lago dinner table?” Robinson asked. “I wouldn’t discount jealousy as a motive, but there is also a substantive issue involved.”
The disagreement has quickly devolved into a series of harsh public exchanges. Musk, responding to a critical post on his platform, X, wrote: “…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 retaliated in an interview, warning that “longtime MAGA true believers will ‘rip your face off’” if Musk continues to champion the visa program.
Robinson described the feud as a reflection of deeper ideological fractures within the MAGA movement. Musk represents a tech-savvy, libertarian-leaning faction, while Bannon embodies the hardline nationalism of MAGA’s earlier days.
“This is ugly, and it promises to get uglier,” Robinson concluded, emphasizing that neither Musk nor Bannon appears willing to back down.
With Donald Trump poised to return to the presidency, the feud signals a potential battle for influence in the broader MAGA world, as both figures vie for their version of the movement to dominate. As Robinson observed, the growing divide could have lasting consequences for the movement’s unity and direction.
