Steve Bannon slammed tech billionaire Elon Musk on Monday for his continued criticism of the GOP spending bill after the former Department of Government Efficiency chief proposed creating a third political party.
“Elon Musk is out and, it’s not that I told you this was going to happen, but he’s out lighting up the president and lighting up MAGA and claiming it’s time for a third party,” Bannon said on his “War Room” podcast in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“And that this is, he calls it, I think, in all his maturity, the ‘Porky Pig Bill.’ He’s going on about the spending. Hammering it, hammering it,” he added.
Musk has railed against the Trump-backed Republican legislative package, which is set to increase the national debt by trillions, boost defense spending and roll back electric vehicle (EV) credits.
“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” the Tesla CEO wrote on his social platform X.
“And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,” he added.
The tech giant has already vowed to back GOP incumbent Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.), who is facing threats of a primary challenger backed by President Trump amid their ongoing feud.
Since Musk’s falling out with the president last month, he has toyed around with the idea of creating a third party, floating the “America Party.”
Bannon has long warned that Musk would backstab the GOP, alleging the tech billionaire was a “truly evil guy” entrenched in self-interests.
This spring, Bannon encouraged administration officials to launch a special counsel probe into Musk’s reported drug usage while repeatedly critiquing the billionaire for his shortcomings at the Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.
“This was the guy that told the president he was going to cut $2 trillion of waste, fraud, and abuse, but then he backed it off to 1 trillion. And this was on an annual basis. This wasn’t over 10 years,” Bannon said on the podcast episode Monday.
“I know some of you fanboys said we got $160 billion [in cuts], but we haven’t seen the $160 [billion]. What we do have is a $9 billion rescission. And all of that is programmatic. I haven’t seen anything specifically about fraud and abuse put forward from the Pentagon or anywhere,” he added.
Trump suggested Tuesday that Musk could feel the backlash from his White House shortfalls sooner than expected.
“Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in a post shortly after midnight Tuesday. “It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.”
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” he continued. “No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE.”
