- Steve Bannon advised Elon Musk to “study modern political history” amid the H-1B visa debate.
- Bannon said Musk should not “start lecturing people about the way things are gonna be.”
- Musk recently faced MAGA criticism after he shared strong support for H-1B visas.
President-elect Donald Trump’s former advisor, Steve Bannon, has some advice for Elon Musk — start studying.
“You need to study modern political history of the fights we’ve been through for twelve or fourteen years to get to this spot,” Bannon said on his “War Room” podcast on Tuesday.
The remarks were made during a discussion about the H-1B visa, for which Musk has recently expressed support. While Bannon said Musk earned a seat at the table for investing in Trump’s reelection and supporting the cause, he said he didn’t agree with the Tesla CEO’s stance on the H-1B visa.
“Don’t come up and go to the pulpit in your first week here and start lecturing people about the way things are gonna be. If you’re gonna do that,” Bannon said, “we’re gonna rip your face off.”
Musk said on X that the US needs to attract foreign talent to remain globally competitive. He strongly supports H-1B visas, which he said were crucial to building “SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong.”
While Trump stood behind Musk, his stance has been criticized by MAGA supporters who say employers are using H-1B visas and other legal immigration methods to take jobs from Americans and drive down wages.
Bannon was considered one of the most powerful figures in Trump’s administration before he was ousted from the White House. He was later found in contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with the January 6 panel.
Bannon completed a four-month prison sentence in October. After his release, the former strategist said at a media conference that he was “empowered” by his sentence.
