'Illegal alien': Steve Bannon demands federal probe into Musk’s immigration status; says SpaceX should be seized ‘before midnight’

Former White House official Steve Bannon on Thursday called for Elon Musk to be investigated and deported, claiming the billionaire is in the US illegally.“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,” he said while talking to The New York Times.Bannon also demanded investigations into Musk’s alleged drug use and an incident in which the South African-born entrepreneur reportedly tried to obtain a classified Pentagon briefing on China. He said Musk’s security clearance should be suspended, and his government contracts canceled during the probe.Additionally, during his "War Room" podcast, he urged Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to take control of SpaceX, following Musk’s brief threat to decommission the Dragon spacecraft used by Nasa to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.

Musk later walked back the statement, but Bannon insisted Trump act swiftly.The Defense Production Act, first enacted during the Korean War, allows the president to prioritise government contracts for national defense but does not explicitly grant the power to seize private companies.Tensions between Musk and Trump have been rising over Musk’s support for a congressional spending bill and his growing criticism of the former president.

Trump expressed disappointment in Musk during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday, saying, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.”Musk responded on X by accusing the Trump administration of withholding documents related to Jeffrey Epstein and suggesting Trump should be impeached and replaced by vice president JD Vance.Bannon, a longtime Musk critic, has previously called him “a parasitic illegal immigrant” and accused him of having no respect for American values.

On his podcast, Bannon argued that Trump had given Musk significant power, which the billionaire then used for personal gain.“He turned on President Trump. He turned on MAGA. But most importantly, he turned on the country and the American people,” Bannon said. He warned that Musk might financially back progressive leaders like house minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and support efforts to impeach Trump.