In a dramatic move in the current feud between US President Donald Trump and billionaire business magnate Elon Musk, former White House strategist Steve Bannon has denounced Musk's deportation and the federal seizure of SpaceX. Bannon made the explosive remarks during an episode of his “War Room” podcast and in an interview with The New York Times. The remarks follow heated tensions between Trump and Musk, who was once a senior adviser within the Trump administration but has recently become a vocal critic of the president.

Steve Bannon, who was a key player in the MAGA movement and a former Trump aide, asserted that Elon Musk is in America "illegally" and called for a federal probe of his immigration status on an immediate basis. Musk is from South Africa but became a US citizen in 2002. “They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,” Bannon said. In the same statement, Bannon called for an investigation into Musk's reported drug use and claims Musk tried to gain access to a classified Pentagon China briefing. He also called for the revocation of Musk's security clearance and suspension of all federal contracts given to Musk-owned companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter).

Seize SpaceX Under Defense Production Act, Bannon Urges Trump

Bannon also invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA), urging Trump to use the legislation to seize SpaceX. This followed Musk’s brief public threat to decommission the Dragon spacecraft. Musk later walked back the statement, but Bannon insisted the threat alone justified government intervention. “President Trump needs to take control of SpaceX. He has the authority under the Defense Production Act. This is a matter of national security,” Bannon said on his podcast. "It's a political issue," he added. The DPA, initially enacted during the Korean War, permits the President to give precedence to contracts of vital importance to national defense but does not specifically sanction the outright seizure of private businesses.

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Trump-Musk Fallout Grows

The Twitter feud between Trump and Musk has grown more personal. Musk, a former close ally who served briefly as the head of Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has become estranged from the president. Most recently, Musk publicly rejected Trump's 5 trillion USD spending bill, officially called the "One Big Beautiful Bill", calling it a "disgusting abomination" and urging lawmakers to "kill the bill." Tensions escalated further after Musk implicated the Trump administration in the suppression of Jeffrey Epstein records and called for Trump to be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance. Responding to Musk's criticism, Trump reacted with dismay during an Oval Office press engagement: "Elon and I had a wonderful relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I've done a lot for Elon, but he's gone bonkers."

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Bannon has long blamed Musk for betraying the MAGA movement and prioritising his interests over the country. On Thursday, Bannon alleged Musk is currently financially backing progressive figures such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and supporting Trump's impeachment. "He betrayed President Trump. He betrayed MAGA. But most significantly, he betrayed the country and the American people," Bannon said.