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The Populist vs. the Billionaire: Bannon, Musk and the Battle Within MAGA

After the word leakage of a I clashed in the White House Where the members of the Council of Ministers challenged the authority of Elon Musk to reshape their sections, one of the best presidential allies, Stephen Bannon, quickly accumulated.

Mr. Banoun, who described Mr. Musk as an interlocutor, aDisplays illegal immigrantAnd “a truly evil person,” suggested that the richest man in the world weighing Mr. Trump.

On Friday, Mr. Banon said about Mr. Musk in his “Chamber of War” program, which he watches closely by a number of Trump’s allies, as well as the president himself: “I do not want to say an anchor or Ludiston.” “It was not yet, but he is heading – he started affecting everyone.”

The long animation between Mr. Bannon and Mr. Musk envelops major tension in the heart of the MOREMP’s MAKE American Great again. He incites those like Mr. Bannon, who want Mr. Trump to make a more popular agenda, against the high interests, embodied by Mr. Musk, who holds major positions in the orbit of the president.

Mr. Trump has explained that he wanted to keep both men and their allies in his movement, but the audio president of Mr. Banoun has noticed him. In the middle of February, President Bannon told him that he wanted him to rest the attacks on Mr. Musk and the two men to sit alone, according to two people familiar with the comments.

This meeting has not yet happened, and it is not clear when or whether it is.

But Mr. Trump’s efforts to mediate between the two men, who have not been reported previously, reflects the president’s awareness that Mr. Bannon has strong loudspeakers with major parts of the Maja base.

Mr. Bannon has been preaching popular since the Short Party wave slowly began to reshape the Republican Party in 2010. He sees ACOLYTES MUSK as an ideological charcoal in the Maga movement that only wants to provide his own interests.

But Mr. Bannon’s vision of the movement also has its fair share of critics on his agreement with right -wing nationalism, which he described as a “honor badge”. “Let them call you racists,” Mr. Banoun said to a right -wing extremist gathering in France in 2018.

Mr. Musk, who was a critic of Trump for years before he became one of his largest beneficiaries, did not think much about the Maga movement and its future. Mr. Musk was sometimes angry at the attacks of Mr. Bannon, according to people in contact with him. But he rarely participates with Mr. Bannon. “Bannon is a great speaker, but he is not a great actor,” as Mr. Musk posted on X, the social media platform, last month. “What did this week do? Nothing.”

In a statement, Caroline Levit, the White House press secretary, said: “We do not comment on the private talks that may or have not occurred.

A spokeswoman for Mr. Musk did not respond to the comment.

It seems that the attacks of Mr. Bannon revolve around attention like anything, although his allies say he is fighting for what he is seen as the spirit of Maga. His supporters are rushing to mention him as a potential candidate for the presidency in 2028, noting that he ended the second position in the Republican straw poll at the 2028 political work conference last month, although he was behind the Vice President JD Vance.

“Steve looks down the tube,” said Rahim Massam, a close ally and the editor of the National editor -in -chief, a right -wing news site.

Mr. Massam said: “He looks at the future, and he says,“ Oh no, there is an atheist foreigner, immoral, alignment of CCP, who will be the head of the Maga movement at some point, ”

Currently, though, the Maga movement is driven by the personality, mainly dedicated to anything that Mr. Trump wants to be regardless of the inherent contradictions. Since it has controlled the Republican Party over the past decade, Mr. Trump has led the semi -popular movement by sewing between a wide range of factions and ideas, many of which contradict each other.

Mr. Banon held the position of chief strategy during the first period of Mr. Trump before Severe division in 2017But he was among the most devoted to the lie that was stolen by Mr. Trump 2020. For this reason, Mr. Bannon has credibility with some supporters, Mr. Trump needs success, and with Mr. Trump himself.

Mr. Bannon also has clear ideological differences with Mr. Musk, especially on immigration. Mr. Bannon is strongly different with Mr. Musk’s support for H-1B visas, which allow individuals with high skills to work in America. Mr. Bannon also warned that billionaires such as Mr. Musk and other technology executives – many of whom supported Democrats before Mr. Trump’s support – will give up the Maga movement.

“Bannon was a wool conservative throughout his life, and he believed in great strength in these basic values,” said Barry Bennett, a Republican strategic expert in the first presidential campaign for Mr. Trump with Mr. Bannon. “He is always naturally suspicious of people who float on the surface and have no proportions he has.”

Mr. Musk in some respects came out of the left field as a solid support for Mr. Trump.

Throughout Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Musk had a long list of criticism. Mr. Trump’s tariff policies disturbed his coal devices instead of Gigafactories and his difficult stances on immigration. On a wider scale, Mr. Musk has been inhabited against those who believed that they had become tribal in their policy, according to people familiar with his comments.

In 2023, Mr. Musk indicated that he would support the presidential campaign of Governor Ron Desantis from Florida before changing his opinion while the campaign of Mr. Disantes was struggling outside the gate. Last month, Mr. Musk posted on social media that he loves Mr. Trump “as much as a straight man can love another man.”

Among the believers, both men have deep fans. Mr. Bannon is a movement of the original content of the movement, and its history dates back to his days to oversee Breitbart News and now via “The War Room”. Mr. Musk, Meanwhile, loved himself to the movement by turning from X, previously known as Twitter, to a center of conservative activity.

Mr. Bennett said: “Musk is the sound button.” “You can now say things on Twitter and you can reach millions and millions of people as it reaches tens of thousands 10 years ago. It has made it available to us. There are many people on the right of the central movement who depend on the center very much to distribute their content. They are very grateful to him to allow this to happen.”

The admiration of both men was fully displayed last month at the annual conservative political work conference, where Mr. Musk and Mr. Banon received a Raptos reception.

“They are very popular in the conservative movement,” said Mercedes Shalab, who was the director of strategic communications to Mr. Trump, Director of Strategic Communications during his first term while married to Matt Shalab, “Both were received warmly in CPAC, where they set their differences aside and really ate the president’s achievement.”

Mr. Musk appeared to an unexpected appearance at the conference, as it waving the chain of saw and the sport of a black Maja hat instead of the red brand. (He described himself as a “dark ghosta.”) In his interview in CPAC, Mr. Musk admitted that he was a “political neutral” but he tends to democrat. He said he turned into Trump’s support, “When I realized that I was a fool,” citing the culture and efforts made to violate personal freedoms.

Mr. Banoun spoke immediately after Mr. Musk, but he moved away from any direct confrontation. Instead, Mr. Banoun praised Mr. Musk as “Superman.” He also clearly indicated that history books “will not remember me, Elon Musk, Taker Carlson or Sean Hanity.”

“You will remember two things, Donald Trump and Maga, well?” He said.

In an interview with the New York Times last month, Mr. Bannon said that there are basic differences between him and Mr. Musk.

“It is still not a popular nationalist, it is global,” said Mr. Bannon on technological billionaire. “It is and I have a gap that may not be overcome.”

As for Mr. Musk, his future intentions related to politics are not clear. But there is one thing not: because he was born in South Africa, it is not qualified to run for the presidency – the fact that Mr. Trump has noticed it publicly.

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