Steve Bannon, a former adviser to President-elect Trump, is a high-tech billionaire, as the feud over high-skilled worker visas continues between President-elect Donald Trump's Silicon Valley supporters and his anti-immigration allies. He told Trump ally Elon Musk to “sit back and study.”
“These are recent converts,” Mr. Bannon said Tuesday on his “War Room” podcast, referring to Mr. Musk and other new Trump supporters in the tech industry.
“We love our converts,” he added. “But converts sit in the back and spend years and years and years trying to make sure you understand the faith, understand the nuances of the faith, and understand how you can internalize the faith. I will also study.”
“Don't get up in the pulpit your first week here and start lecturing people about how things are going to go,” Bannon continued. “If you do that, I'll rip your face off.”
Musk, who once largely avoided politics, has become a key figure in Trump's inner circle after pouring at least $250 million into boosting his campaign. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO will co-chair the newly created Ministry of Government Efficiency, along with fellow technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Several other tech executives, including former Democratic donors, also supported Trump this cycle, undermining Silicon Valley's image as a liberal bastion.
But Mr. Musk, Mr. Ramaswamy and their Silicon Valley conservative allies have found themselves at odds with Mr. Trump's traditional MAGA base over the past week amid the debate over H-1B visas.
After President Trump appointed venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan as senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence, far-right activist Laura Loomer called on Musk to “unlock” high-skilled immigration. He resurfaced comments he made last month calling for the removal of country-specific caps on cards. Mr. Loomer deemed Mr. Krishnan's appointment “very concerning.”
Mr. Krishnan's fellow Silicon Valley conservatives defended him, arguing that highly skilled foreign workers are needed to fill labor gaps, particularly in the technology industry.
The debate has become increasingly contentious in recent days, with Musk calling fellow Trump supporters “sneaky idiots” who should be “rooted out of the Republican Party.”
Meanwhile, Loomer accused Musk of revoking his credentials and censoring his posts on social platform X over the controversy. She appeared on Bannon's “War Room” on Monday, where she accused Musk of being a “Stage 5 clinger.”
