President-elect Trump's former political strategist Steve Bannon appears to have changed his mind about tech billionaire Elon Musk, saying he is “impressed” with the new co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). said.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room” on Wednesday, Bannon credited Musk with Trump's election victory and reflected on a recent interview with Pac News.
“I told them there was one thing that impressed me about Elon,” Bannon said. Highlighted by Mediaite. “And we have big ideological differences, including about the Chinese Communist Party. Let's just clarify that for a second.”
“I said, 'What's interesting to me is that he put money into the least sexy part of winning,'” he continued.
Mr. Bannon said Mr. Trump would not have had a “huge victory” if Mr. Musk had not donated millions of dollars to the Trump campaign and to get-out-the-vote efforts for “low-propensity voters.”
“So he deserves a seat at the table,” he said of Musk's appointment to the DOGE committee.
In April, Bannon criticized Musk's interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, calling anyone who watched it and took Musk's statements at face value “stupid.”
“Let me be frank,” he said at the time. “Anyone fanboying or fanboying my brother Darren Beatty, who I love, Elon Musk, you're a fool, you're a fool, you're a fool.”
Musk, who owns social platform X, will co-lead DOGE with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who previously ran with Trump in the Republican primary. Both men have become staunch allies of Trump, and the president-elect said they will “offer advice and guidance from outside the government.”
Concerns have been raised about Mr. Musk's influence in both technology and government circles, including potential international influence.
