Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon said in an interview with The Atlantic that “everything changed” for Elon Musk after President Donald Trump denied that the CEO would receive a secret briefing on China.
Musk, after months as the face of the White House DOGE office, is stepping back from his high-profile role in paring down the size of the government. And Bannon, who for years has thrown barbs at Musk, highlighted what he said was the turning point for the Tesla CEO.
“You could feel it. Everything changed. The fever had been broken,” Bannon told the magazine regarding the litany of concerns raised about the scope of Musk’s influence within the federal government.
After The New York Times reported in March that Musk was set to be briefed on details regarding any prospective war between the US and China, Democratic lawmakers were up in arms over the plans — pointing to ethical and national security concerns.
Trump then denied the report on his Truth Social platform, saying the Times article was “fake news.”
“They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China,'” Trump said at the time. “How ridiculous? China will not even be mentioned or discussed.”
Given the wide latitude Musk enjoyed at the outset of DOGE’s work to make dramatic cuts at federal departments and agencies, the idea of Musk being present for such sensitive talks raised concerns from critics over the power he held in his role as a “special government employee.”
In recent weeks, Musk has spoken about his plans to refocus his energy on Tesla, SpaceX, and X, with DOGE’s work continuing without the initiative’s most recognizable public face. Earlier this week, he added that he would cut back on his political donations.
Bannon has long chastised Musk.
In August 2018, during Trump’s first term, Bannon said during a CNN interview that Tesla was “out of control,” while criticizing Musk and other tech executives.
“They are all man-childs,” he said at the time. “How can they have this unlimited power? It’s outrageous.”
And in an interview with Business Insider published in April, Bannon said Musk “was always evil.”
“He’s a techno-feudalist,” Bannon said.
Representatives for the White House and Musk didn’t immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
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