Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, reignited his ongoing clash with Steve Bannon on Tuesday by declaring that Bannon is headed back to prison.
“Bannon is going back to prison,” Musk posted on X, replying to a user who claimed that Bannon had suggested the U.S. government should seize control of Musk’s space ventures. “This time for a long time.”
The rift between the two public figures began earlier this summer when Bannon, speaking out in June, encouraged Trump officials to investigate Musk’s immigration history. He hinted that the billionaire entrepreneur may have violated visa laws during his early years in the United States. Bannon has also accused Musk of drug abuse, citing a New York Times report from May which stated that Musk used “ketamine often, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs.”
Bannon hasn’t held back in criticizing Musk’s short-lived role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal task force meant to eliminate bureaucratic waste. He’s made Musk’s time there a recurring point of mockery.
Back in 2020, Bannon faced serious legal trouble when he was charged with fraud and money laundering in connection to the “We Build the Wall” initiative, which sought donations for Trump’s southern border barrier. Although Trump pardoned him in 2021, Bannon was later prosecuted and convicted in 2022 for defying a congressional subpoena related to the January 6 investigation. That conviction earned him a four-month stint in federal prison.
Musk has recently clashed with Trump over policy matters, notably the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. On Monday, Musk took to social media promising to campaign against Republicans who supported the bill, declaring he would help ensure they “lose their primary (election) next year.” Bannon, in turn, has pushed back hard.
“This was the guy that told the president he was going to cut two trillion dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, but then he backed it off to one trillion,” Bannon said Monday on his War Room podcast. “I don’t know, folks, I know some of you fanboys said we got $160 billion, but we haven’t seen the $160 billion. What we do have is a $9 billion rescission, and all of that is programmatic.”

{Matzav.com}