President Trump has made clear he wants to keep both men and their allies in his movement, but tensions are rising.
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Stephen K. Bannon has the trust of some of the supporters President Trump needs to succeed, and he has made it clear he is not a fan of Elon Musk.
After news broke of a White House skirmish in which members of President Trump's Cabinet challenged Elon Musk's authority to reorganize their departments, one of the president's top allies, Stephen K. Bannon, quickly got into the game.
Mr Bannon, who has described Mr Musk as a disruptor, a “parasitic illegal immigrant” and a “truly evil person”, suggested the world's richest man was putting pressure on Mr Trump.
“I don’t want to say anchor or magnet,” Mr. Bannon said of Mr. Musk on Friday on his show “War Room,” which is closely watched by some of Mr. Trump’s allies, as well as the president himself. “It’s not there yet, but it’s a trend — it’s starting to affect everybody.”
The long-running feud between Mr. Bannon and Mr. Musk reflects a key tension at the heart of Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. It pits those like Mr. Bannon, who want Mr. Trump to pursue a more populist agenda, against the interests of the super-rich, personified by Mr. Musk, who occupy key positions in the president’s orbit.
Mr. Trump has made clear that he wants to keep both men and their allies in his movement, but Mr. Bannon’s open disdain for Mr. Musk has been noted by the president. In mid-February, the president told Mr. Bannon that he wanted him to stop attacking Mr. Musk and for the two men to meet privately, according to two people familiar with the comments.
This meeting has not yet taken place, and it is unclear when or if it will take place at all.
But Mr. Trump's attempt to mediate between the two men, which has not previously been reported, reflects the president's awareness that Mr. Bannon has a powerful voice reaching key parts of the MAGA base.
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