
Bannon versus Musk … I bet on Musk

Political gadfly Steve Bannon has decided to take on billionaire genius Elon Musk. The former Trump advisor has declared that he will have Musk kicked out of Trump’s inner circle by Inauguration Day.
The controversial and pugnacious Bannon said, “I will get Elon Musk kicked out by the time he’s (Trump is) inaugurated. He won’t have a blue pass with full access to the White House. He’ll be like everyone else,”
Bannon added, “He’s a truly evil person. Stopping him has become a personal issue for me. Before, since he’s put in so much money, I was prepared to tolerate it. Not anymore.”
It is the clash of the pipsqueak and the titan – that is Bannon and Musk respectively, if you were wondering. Only a miniscule portion of the world cares what Bannon thinks. He is a man with an enormously inflated sense of self important even as he has been slipping into greater irrelevance.
Ironically, it is the H1B programs – and immigration generally – that has Bannon’s feathers fluttering. While H1Bs are the flashpoint between Bannon and Muck, Bannon has offered himself as the Pied Piper of xenophobic opposition to all immigration.
H1B visas are for the best and the brightest foreign workers in the most critical fields. H1B visas enable us to capture the brain power of other nations. Those coming into America with H1B visas are highly productive workers who make significant contributions to America in terms of commerce, science, medicine and, yes, national security.
I know this from research and personal experience. One of my assistants was an H1B hire. He is now a citizen who has moved on to a successful career at the top of the finance industry in New York City. My company participated in an internship program with a university in Hong Kong. Virtually every year, one or two students would seek H1B visas – much to the chagrin of Chinese authorities.
Unlike the throngs crossing the southern border illegal, H1B workers are vetted. They also come to America with impressive academic records and professional skills. They rarely require welfare assistance. They are rarely guilty of criminal activities – as in almost never. Many matriculate to permanent status and finally citizenship.
America is an immigration nation. We need immigrants to grow the economy – and to compete on the international stage. H1B is America’s immigration system working at its best.
Contrary to Bannon’s claims, H1B visa holders do not take away a fixed number of jobs from qualified Americans. As a producer AND consumers, they create new jobs. That is how the economy grows.
Bannon’s knuckle-dragging attack on Musk – with threats of kicking him out of the White House – is ironic when you consider that President Trump has voiced his support for a LEGAL immigration system generally – and H1B visas specifically. Is Bannon going to join the next impeach Trump movement if Democrats regain the House in 2026?
Bannon’s raising the sword of battle against Musk is just another of those sounds and furies that amount to nothing. After a short live association with Bannon, Trump exiled him to the extreme edge of the political empire – where Bannon leads a teeny tiny band of anti-immigration extremists who are mostly noise.
While Bannon brags that he will have Musk kicked out of the White House by Inauguration Day, it has just been reported that Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency will be housed in the White House Executive Office Building. Conversely, it is Bannon who will remain banned from the grounds. And that is a good thing.
If you want to evaluate the relative roles to be played by Musk and Bannon, keep a few things in mind. Musk has been appointed by Trump to head one of his major policy initiatives. Bannon has been appointed to nothing. Musk was deeply involved in the transition. Bannon was not around. Musk was on stage at Trump rallies. Bannon was nowhere to be seen. Musk is seen with Trump at many major political and personal events. Bannon is not even a member of Trump’s golf club. Trump “hired” Musk and literally fired Bannon.
Bannon is rattling his saber to get attention. And he has gotten some – mostly from the anti-Trump media that reports and promotes the appearance of schisms within the Trump coalition. Like Bannon, the left hopes to create a break between Trump and Musk. As I opined in a previous commentary, I do not believe that is happening or will happen. But it is amusing to see Bannon in league with the radical never-Trump left-wingers. I guess nutcases on both sides can find common ground.
In taking on Musk, Bannon is likely to have put himself further outside the sphere of power and influence – a gadfly at best.
So, there ‘tis.
Cage fight!!!!!
Cat fight is more like it.
Sucker bet, Horist. Don’t win in either case
Why is there any relevance to this at all? Fucking soap opera politics. Greenland yesterday, Bannon/Musk slap fight today.
Is the Ukraine was over yet? Inauguration deadline for peace almost here. Do we have TrumpCare to replace ObamaCare yet? Is it more than a concept?
Jack Smith report; page turner. Bestseller. Incredible conclusion: Trump guilty. Sorry, spoiler alert. Can’t wait for the Horist rebuttal after he finishes with the Bannon Musk battle of the conservative all stars.
Increase your xanax dose…..
I beg to differ. More of a Bannon guy here. The bigger issue I see is Musk making his way into the government using his wallet. It’s like Trump putting his cabinet out for auction and rich guys like Musk and Ramaswammy simply buying their offices into it. Even Vance – not many saw him as the would-be VP pick. And now Bezos and Zuckerberg putting money into Trump’s inauguration. It’s like the swamp rebooted not a draining operation as MAGA expected.
WTP: Yes, the Presidency seems for sale as Trump’s oligarch’s pledge false fealty, spend some millions to gain access and more. Tic Tok is the perfect example of an oligarch battle ground as Zuckerberg pays millions to end it. Mush rallies millions to buy it, and you missed, for Vance, Peter Theil’s bought and paid for pol, now gains access and is against Tick Toc, as the first outside investor to Farcebook. Without Peter Theil, there is no JD Vance. While Trump was all for the ban, after meeting with Peter Yass, bigtime oligarch Republican donor, suddenly he’s totally against the ban, saying, have you heard this before, wait for it….wait for it…. “there’s a lot of good people on tictock and a lot of unhappy kids if it’s gone.” Yeah, it’s all about the children…… More like Trump adopting a Putinesque model of government with a strong man at the center surrounded by a ring of oligarchs running the businesses and telling him what they want.
What? Did you think Trump was in it for the people? Champion of Joe Six Pack and all the little guys needing a helping hand to get ahead? No, that was the last guy….. This guy is all about this guy.
Frank you have so much gas and Trump seems to be your gas pedal; mention Trump and you start blasting full force. lols
I do have reservations about Vance as VP given the Thiel connection and his anti-Trump/MAGA history. But Trump did the right thing by committing to end social media censorship and letting TikTok serve as a popular platform for free speech. Libbos hates free speech. Trump is not perfect but far better than any leftist on any day. The left is truly the enemy of the people. Tomorrow comes the big day when the trash is removed from the White House and decent people step in after 4 years.
WTP: Yes, last time I looked, Trump:
Is an adjudicated and sentenced felon of over 30 counts
Is a sexual abuser
Is a defamer of women
Cheats on his wife and family
Is a digital rapist, on the court record in his failed counter defamation suit over the use of the word: RAPE
Is the owner of an adjudicated and sentenced felonious business where he cheated and got convicted and sentenced on over 30 counts
Stole from his University students
Stole from his own charity
Has a dozen associates who went to jail during his first term for lies, tax cheating, and other transgressions, and he paroled most of them. His lawyers, three, guilty, his cfo, guilty, yada, yada, yada.
I think everyone deserves a second chance and after killing so many of us with his covid response, now he has his thanks to the Republican Party of law and order for the poor, something else for the rich and famous. I wish the best for all for his second chance and that he can do better than all those covid deaths shutting down the country.
Free speech: I am a liberal and I love it. I hate lies, misinformation, and disinformation and, today, we not only roll in it like pigs in mud, but we pay people to do it to us. I do not think lies, misinformation, and disinformation are good examples of free speech or something to be celebrated as some extreme free speech folks advocate. I don’t have an answer, but Chinese social media is not it. X is not it. Facebook just saying NO to fact checking is not it. This is not free speech, this is the tower of babel where the more you lie, the more money and fame you get. This is wonderment at Trump being against, and now he is gung-ho Chinese social media as if he’s getting paid for it. Imagine if Biden flip flopped on this one like Trump.
Alex Jones, still working. Tucker, I think he’s out there somewhere still working. FOX, it’s just a fine and they are fine; Horist keeps telling us they are number one. Lies and money. I don’t have an answer, but “in my day,” when you lied, we stopped listening, stopped paying for it, and sometimes completely shunned the liar. We fired liars. Now we make them President. Now we give them their own shows and pay them millions. I don’t have an answer, but this is not it either. Social media is the tower of babel in the wild west. Sooner or later, someone has to establish a deadline IF we are going to keep our children and our country safe. Again, I don’t know the measures to be taken, but it starts with condemning liars instead of promoting them.
Before we take the trash out Monday, remember —- Trump promised to end the Ukraine war before his inauguration. He said it would take 24 hours. There’s you first promise, a lie, and he won’t say a thing about it.
As to the rest: bring it on. You have two years to make me change my mind, but I doubt it. Trump is just not great in a crisis, when the chips are down, he spends his time looking for a lackey to blame. Wores yet, he tends to make them all by himself even where they don’t exist. It will be wild.
This article is a harbinger of Horist’s punditry track in the coming Trump 2.0 area. But the subject chosen is a page three under the fold rated article. It presumes anyone really cares about the politically neutered Bannon the ex-con Trump shunned radio celebrity who believes he wields some authority power.
That Musk’s star in Trump’s constellation of Uber wealthy loyalists and super donors.
The banished Bannon is toast yet still seems to see himself as a relevant person for Trump. Bannon is nowhere near Trump’s orbit. He paid the great price for his loyalty to Trump 1.0 with jail time. Bannon getting caught and found guilty makes him a looser in Trumps estimation.
Trump has always been a follow the money type of guy. That assures Musk and his ilk of billionaires staying power in Trump 2.0 administration. The most world class wealthy men just less wealthy than Musk are like Musk are literally banking on Trump bestowing financial advantage likely worth the hundreds of millions already invested.
Bannon in no way can match the American oligarchs’ clout in the past election and funding of Trump’s inauguration ceremonies
My personal opinion, for what that’s worth, happens to be that Musk is not a political asset for Trump 2.0 any more than Bannon had been for Trump 1.0. Trump 2.0 has Ben dazzled by the millions donated and his expectation of more millions in his administration’s future. Trump has already sold out his loyal voters who gave him his win. Shameless in his greed for wealth and the power it buys has thrown the majority of the Republican voters under his speeding bus’ wheels.
This article’s subjects, Bannon and musk highlight Trump’s decision to leave Bannon with the working class Republicans behind in his wake while installing the most wealthy in positions on his cabinet.
There appears to be no restraint on Trump’s reach across each branch of government. He’s intimidated Sprsler Johnson into manipulating committee chairmanships by change to loyalist members.
Trump has started his dictatorship weeks before his first 24 hours on the job. For his many untruths and never intended to meet promises some of his more grandiose proclamations he is dead serious about achieving sooner than later.
Fear for the economy, the justice system, and basic democratic rights is justified.
This article earns an STS (Stop The Spin) rating of 5+ because it is hard to tell if Larry is focusing primarily on Bannon Vs. Musk, or is he trying a second and covert sneaky attempt to justify, influence, and sing the virtues of the H1B program to his readers in the hopes of changing their mind to agree with Musk.
As far as Bannon vs. Musk, both are scum in their own way. So who really cares. This is a GOP cat fight as Danger says!
But what Larry is doing is using this Bannon vs. Musk catfight as a way of grooming the reader to his thoughts on the virtues of the H1B program without telling the reader of any of the downsides of this overused program. So lets look at a couple of the reasons why Bannon does not like the H1B program so that we can balance Larry’s creaming of his jeans over Musk.
This article earns an STS (Stop The Spin) rating of 5+ because it is hard to tell if Larry is focusing primarily on Bannon Vs. Musk, or is he trying a second and covert sneaky attempt to justify, influence, and sing the virtues of the H1B program to his readers in the hopes of changing their mind to agree with Musk.
As far as Bannon vs. Musk, both are scum in their own way. So who really cares. This is a GOP cat fight as Danger says!
But what Larry is doing is using this Bannon vs. Musk catfight as a way of grooming the reader to his thoughts on the virtues of the H1B program without telling the reader of any of the downsides of this overused program.
Tom keeps saying he needs undocumented to finish his remodel and mow his lawn. I think he’s being factious in that he really does not know who is legal or not, just that they have an accent. But his concept in general is spot on. As developed nations, develop, the working class splits into a number of types as in elites (either party), white collar management class (the new factory worker), blue collar technical class (keeps shit running, remodels), blue collar factory workers, and blue collar service workers (burger flippers, home cleaners, etc). I am sure there are other types, segments, or that mine could be better defined, but hopefully it gets the idea across. It just ain’t white collar and blue anymore. As this happens, many do no longer want to take jobs that don’t support rental of a single home for a single family. Or back breaking field jobs. That’s where immigrants keep the economy rolling. In return, we give them the future of the American Dream.
Here’s the 2022 count of the top six states: California: 1.8 million, Texas: 1.6 million, Florida: 1.2 million, New York: 650,000, New Jersey: 475,000 and Illinois: 400,000. IOW — Most of the illegals are found in Republican held States with Republican policies. Just saying.
NJ has the number five count for immigrants and the undocumented. NC is indeed in the top ten, Tom may be spot on accurate that he’s hiring illegals. Last guy I judged as illegal not only was legal, but had enough money to buy my matching set of dirt bikes and ship them to Columbia for his boys. I liked that.
Here’s the point: who are they? This sounds a bit tough, but in NJ, we have the highest property taxes in America. Our COL is in the top ten of America. Likewise, our per capita earnings are in the top ten as well. So, good place to make money, but expensive to live. I have long said that if my job paid $40k or less, I would leave NJ for a place with better COL, which basically is anywhere. I came here at $60K and felt poor on day one commuting 30 miles to afford my home lifestyle. Our NJ median income is 46K, US is 37K, so why are the undocumented here? Because they are willing to cut costs by living in higher densities is one reason. They come to take the jobs we won’t while they cut costs by living as I did after college: 4 guys with jobs in one townhome. And then they capitalize on the better salaries to get better jobs and their own homes. Its’ the American dream as practiced by immigrants for over a century. My bike-buying buddy lived with four other guys sending money home to bring the family in when possible. Same old story for over a century, and then some.
My Slovakian forebears came from the mines in Slovakia to the mines in Scranton. Three brothers, first one came, then the other two. Left two sisters and parents at home in Genecia. It took the first one almost ten years to begin bringing family across. The first brother, after his second marriage had 14 kids. The second had nine, one left behind. I am pretty sure these kids worked at a young age although my Irish forebears arriving in 1866 kept their kids in school. The Irish moved ahead much faster than my Slovakian ancestors, but just a generation maybe. And the third brother must have been gay, no kids…. Maybe not gay, but no kids. At one point they all lived in one house in Kingston. The place looks like a hotel. They all worked, pooled funds, bought the house, and then started one enterprise after another. One bought a 1920’s version of a strip mall —- consecutive row homes turned into businesses; the other two took their pooled money and homesteaded in Arkansas. One made it, the single brother, the other came back with eight of the nine kids. Many of the brother’s kids and grandkids stepped out of this by joining or marrying into the military. Along the way, the first generation started in the mines or the mills. The next generation with some education worked the train stations, shops, and service skills. And then, augmented by the GI bill, the next generation broke the barrier, went to college and, after that, anyone who wanted to went to college. Soon, it was all Masters, Phd’s, and Lawyers. Yes, we still have skilled service and craftmen in the family, but by choice, not due to a lack of choice. I think that IS the American dream.
Not much has changed with today’s immigrants so as we give them the boot, as Tom noted, that’s what we loose. Two generations after arrival, 50% of the kids went to college. Three generations and anyone who wanted to go, was able to. That is the American dream and WE all benefited from what my family and other immigrants add to America. We are motivated to move ahead, willing to work exceptionally hard to get there, and are pretty good citizens pretty much of the time. We pay our taxes. Frankly, ending it without replacements will be a big change to who and what America is and has always been. I smell yet another clusterfuck of policy coming.
Why is there any relevance at all? Oh, I get it, now not one author is allowed to talk about anything unless the PBP community Dictator approves? Just like none of us can say our thoughts unless he approves it. My God, hates Trump. Hates all of us except Tom, hates all the stories. I have never met anyone with so much hate and with such a big ego. God’s gift to the world. Someone is getting more insane every day, every post. What a pure unadulterated hater! BUT I will say he gives great entertainment! What a comedy show.
Never in my life have a engaged with such a psychopathic anal pore like you AF!!
Tell me where I said the word “hate”. You are way overreaching with your comment! So, get back on your meds and attend your therapy sessions! And stop using the institutions computers to publish your garbage you menopause hag!!!
If you had any kind of life whatsoever, you would see that I am only pointing out the other side of what Larry does not tell his readers because he wishes to influence them and steer their thinking!!
It wasn’t directed at you, Tom. REREAD what I said. You are poking at me because you can. Again, it wasn’t directed at you. It was at traitor Frank. Get the story straight next time about me. Don’t make me angry.
If the reader goes to *https://heather.cs.ucdavis.edu/h1b10min.html* you can find many downsides of the H1B program that Larry does not tell you!!!
Tom, I guess you want Larry to write a never-ending book to say everything you think he left out. Why? Are you so perfect on EVERYTHING? God, you people are so stupidly perfect that it is insane!
Biden follows Soros to put the country back to the days of early third world country crime and disorder.
Trump follows Musk who betters man kind and lands rockets back on the landing pad and leads the world in science!
Are you haters Stupid or just upset NO one follows you?
Soros is retired. Get a new boogeyman.
Crime is down, economy is best in world, maybe it’s just you that’s living a third world existence. How can you say we live in the third world and Biden put us there? Where are the facts?
Musk betters mankind? What normal American can afford a Tesla? Mankind ain’t feeling Musk love there. The value has risen. He’s running X into the ground losing over $25billion. Space x is also doubling in value in two years covering the x losses. . IOW – he’s a home run hitter but suffers spectacular failures too. And his wins are currently based on expectations, not revenues. IOW, the bubble.
Twitter folk just not sharing your love.
Frank, YOU are the boogeyman. Very scary and illegitimate!
AF; I am sorry; what are you saying about my parents?
It’s one thing that your arguments are so weak that you feel the need to lash out and attack me personally. But now, you are going after my parents? What’s next, you wanna shot my dog?
And now you threaten Tom? Just because he lowered himself to name call you an anal pore? What is that anyway? You must know, Tom says you are one. I myself would never call you that even if it were true.
Keep the attacks coming. Keep on threatening. I just love trailer trash talk. Come on, you gotta have more. Go for it.
H1B immigrants and undocumented immigrants are as differently thought of and treated as are oranges and onions. H1B folks are sought after, solicited, paperwork fast tracked, transported individually, set up in decent housing, pandered, made to feel privileged, welcomed by our tech oligarchs, given a leg up on others competing for the same potentially high paying positions. Generally encouraged in their acclamation of US culture and language.
It’s ironic that the DEI haters are in favor of H1B hires. These two groups are as different as are foreign grown dates and American hybrid Apples. DEI folks are American citizens whose only differentiation is race. Particularly those whose heritage given on the census form counted as black or Latino.
Undocumented immigrants ( so called aliens) are onions compared what the privileged oranges enjoy. In fact the two are only similar in their desire to make a life for themselves in America.
Stark differences separate these newcomers. Oddly, the H1B immigrants are not welcomed by some who compete for jobs in tech, and view the H1B folks to be awarded positions due born American citizens. Then, undocumented immigrants are unwelcome for a number of reasons and many of those reasons are untrue. One that is unsubstantiated but still a complaint is that these new comers will displace American workers already in jobs but work is unsteady.
Fear of the unknown, whether it’s people different from us or a strange situation that confronts us, is frightening because strangers who threaten change will spark our natural, fight or flight reflex. Knowing some facts about who and what incites us into fighting usually calms fear and quiets irrational thoughts in us.
As two highly polarizing figures, both command significant attention in politics, business, and media, making this an intriguing comparison.
I really appreciated how you outlined the contrast in their approaches—Bannon as a political strategist deeply embedded in conservative movements and Musk as a tech mogul whose influence extends beyond business into social and cultural discourse. While their methods and motivations differ, their impact on global narratives is undeniable.
Your discussion on why Musk might have the upper hand was particularly compelling. His ability to leverage technology, social media, and business acumen gives him a broader reach, especially in shaping digital communication, artificial intelligence, and space exploration. Meanwhile, Bannon’s strengths lie in political mobilization and ideological influence, which remains powerful in certain circles.
Ultimately, it’s a battle of influence versus ideology, and it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.