Gavin Newsom: Is Musk 'scared' of Trump's ex-bestie Bannon?

In the latest episode of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast, the Democrat pointed out that billionaire Elon Musk rarely fights back against Steven Bannon’s attacks.

“He’s a little scared of you, isn't he?” Newsom asked the former White House advisor during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

“I don't think he is. … I’m just a man who yells into a microphone,” Bannon replied, referring to his “War Room” podcast.

But Bannon has been laying thick into Musk for a while now, and the Tesla CEO has been virtually mum, set aside a moment in December 2024. At that time, Musk found himself at the epicenter of a MAGA civil war as he defended H1-B visas. Posting on X, Musk told one person to “FUCK YOURSELF” over their opposition to the visas, which much of MAGA has argued takes jobs from Americans. 

In response, on his popular podcast, Bannon referred to Musk as a “sociopathic overlord,” adding, “This is central to how they gutted the middle class in this country. … We want [the visas] gone.” 

Almost two months later, Bannon outright called a “parasitic illegal immigrant.” (Musk was born in South Africa.)

It’s unclear when Bannon developed such a disdain for Musk. And as eyes are on Trump’s former advisor and the tension between two of his top MAGA personalities, Trump has reportedly stepped in.

The New York Times reported that Trump urged Bannon sometime in February to sit down with Musk and work out their differences. However, their source claims that the meeting has yet to happen and that it's unclear when or if it will. 

On Newsom’s new and instantly controversial podcast, Bannon did concede some kind words for Musk. 

“I’ve got a lot of problems with Elon and you know that Elon knows it,” he said. “But what I do admire is that he is trying to get this situation to get the waste, fraud, and abuse out. I hope it gets to a trillion dollars. I’m a big supporter of that. I don’t think we’re gonna get there.”

Bannon isn’t the only one skeptical of how much “waste” Musk is cutting. The “savings” claimed on the website for Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is $105 billion, but that figure has been rife with errors.

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