
<p>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.</p>



<p>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,”</p>



<p>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.”</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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. ;</p>



<p>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. ;</p>



<p>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. ;</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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?</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>In taking on Musk, Bannon is likely to have put himself further outside the sphere of power and influence – a gadfly at best.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Bannon versus Musk … I bet on Musk
