Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President-elect Trump, recently told tech billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk to “sit in the back and study” amidst a growing conflict between the president-elect’s Silicon Valley supporters and his anti-immigrant base regarding visas for highly skilled workers.
During his “War Room” podcast on Tuesday, Bannon referred to Musk and other recent tech converts to Trump’s camp, saying, “They’re recent converts.” He continued, “We love converts,” adding, “But the converts sit in the back and study for years and years and years to make sure you understand the faith and you understand the nuances of the faith and understand how you can internalize the faith.”
Bannon further criticized Musk and others, saying, “Don’t come up and go to the pulpit in your first week here and start lecturing people about the way things are going to be,” warning, “If you’re going to do that, we’re going to rip your face off.”
Musk, who has largely stayed away from political involvement in the past, has become an influential figure in Trump’s circle since investing at least $250 million to help support Trump’s campaign. The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is now set to co-chair the newly formed “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside fellow tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Several other tech leaders, including former Democratic donors, have also supported Trump this election cycle, disrupting Silicon Valley’s long-standing liberal reputation. However, Musk, Ramaswamy, and their fellow Silicon Valley conservatives have found themselves at odds with Trump’s traditional MAGA supporters in recent days, particularly over a debate regarding H-1B visas.
The controversy escalated after Trump appointed venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as his senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence. Far-right activist Laura Loomer resurfaced comments made by Krishnan from the previous month, in which he urged Musk to examine removing per-country limits on green cards to “unlock” highly skilled immigration. Loomer labeled Krishnan’s appointment as “deeply disturbing.”
Conservative figures from Silicon Valley, including Krishnan’s allies, defended his position, arguing that foreign workers with advanced skills are crucial to filling gaps in the workforce, especially within the tech sector.
The debate has continued to heat up, with Musk calling his Trump-aligned critics “contemptible fools” who “must be removed from the Republican Party, root and stem.” Meanwhile, Loomer has accused Musk of removing her verification and censoring her posts on X, the social platform he owns, due to the ongoing dispute. Loomer appeared on Bannon’s “War Room” on Monday, where she criticized Musk as a “Stage 5 clinger.”
{Matzav.com}