Steve Bannon has attacked Elon Musk over his plans to create a new political party.
Speaking on his War Room podcast, President Donald Trump‘s former chief strategist called out the South African-born billionaire, who has U.S. citizenship, and said he was “not American.”
The Context
On Saturday, Musk—who supported Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign and who the president put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency before the pair fell out—announced he was forming a new political party called the “America Party.”
He had previously posted a poll on July 4, asking respondents if they wanted a new party, with 65.4 percent saying that they supported the idea.
Credit: Annabelle Gordon/CNP Photo by: Annabelle Gordon – CNP/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” citing the poll.
As a foreign-born U.S. citizen, Musk cannot run for president but he can support third-party candidates, who can put themselves on the ballot in every state, if they have enough signatures to support their bid. It is rare for third-party candidates to break through significantly.
What To Know
On his podcast on Friday Bannon said: “The foul, the buffoon. Elmo the Mook, formerly known as Elon Musk, Elmo the Mook. He’s today, in another smear, and this—only a foreigner could do this—think about it, he’s got up on, he’s got up on Twitter right now, a poll about starting an America Party, a non-American starting an America Party.”
He added: “No, brother, you’re not an American. You’re a South African. We take enough time and prove the facts of that, you should be deported because it’s a crime of what you did—among many.”
What People Are Saying
Responding to a clip of Bannon’s comments that was posted on X, Musk wrote: “The fat, drunken slob called Bannon will go back to prison and this time for a long time. He has a lifetime of crime to pay for.”
Dafydd Townley, an American politics expert at the University of Portsmouth, previously told Newsweek that “third parties do not tend to have a long lifetime in American politics,” adding that Musk’s new party “would likely split the Republican vote, potentially resulting in a Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, at least in the short term, due to the winner-takes-all electoral system.”
What Happens Next
It is not known how the party will be structured and what other figures will be involved in it. Whether it manages to break through the two-party system and enjoy success remains to be seen.