In the latest from the department of “The Worst Person You Know Just Made A Great Point”, Steve Bannon recently called Elon Musk a “real bad guy” who has no real ideology other than gathering and protect his own wealth. Speaking to the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, Bannon SAYS “Stopping him became a personal issue for me,” and insisted that he would kick Musk out of Trump’s inner circle on Inauguration Day.

Bannon is, to put it as generously as possible, a racist, misogynistic, anti-democratic shitheel who has failed at almost everything he’s done (except get Trump into office, which, to be fair, is a big one . one in the win column there). But he’s also got a pretty good read on Musk — probably because nobody sees a charlatan like another charlatan — so let him cook for a minute.

on interviewsBannon argues that the only reason Musk is in cahoots with Trump is to protect his piles of money. “He will do anything to make sure that any of his companies are protected or have a better deal or he makes more money,” Bannon said. “His accumulation of wealth, and then–through wealth–power: that’s what he’s focused on.” He argued that Musk has no ideological position to speak of, the “sole purpose” of which is “to be a trillionaire,” and called him an advocate of “techno-feudalism on a global scale.” He also said that was expected he quickly backed off Musk, saying, “He’s not going to fight. He has the maturity of a small child.

Bannon and Musk appear headed for a head-on battle as Trump’s second administration struggles to get off the ground. Musk, who now serves in the Hanger-On-in-Chief role formerly occupied by Bannon, is still building what he calls the “Department of Government Efficiency,” according to a new report from the New York Times. While Musk likes to act like DOGE is already a real agency on Twitter—giving it a gray “government” verified checkmark and all—the group apparently prioritizes Signal chats. of Silicon Valley elites.

Musk is reportedly asking tech executives who have expressed interest in getting their hands dirty with the government to serve six-month stints, unpaid, working 80 hours per week—basically the ideal which Musk arranges for anyone he works with. Those willing to do so (the “unpaid” part has been a non-starter for many, per the NYT) will be embedded within an agency and tasked with making recommendations on how to improve operations and cut costs. of expenses.

How true DOGE will be is yet to be seen. Trump has said he will continue to create the group, even if it happens no teeth— able to make recommendations but few. And, the latest rumor in the Trump world is that the president-elect is sick of Musk hanging around. Appearing on Kara Swisher’s podcastNew York Times reporter Maggie Haberman recently said, “Musk seems more willing to annoy Trump than many other people and less worried about what it might mean,” and described their relationship -with as a “full relationship” with “potential. to become more.”

If Bannon wants to push Musk out the window, Musk is certainly making a point of sticking his head out of it. But predicting where Trump will let his loyalties fall is difficult. Bannon has already struck a blow in the MAGA civil war. During the H-1B visa argument seeing Musk and the techno-bros defend the tool for attracting skilled immigrants, Bannon sat on the other side, arguing that “the entire immigration system is gamed by tech overlords.” (His real objection comes from himself racist belief that there are too many Asians in the tech industry and that undermines “civic society” but Bannon is good at changing his positions to try to meet the moment.)

Musk won the fight, along with Trump sided with Musk and says he is always in favor of encouraging talent to come to America. But the reality is that Musk’s usefulness to Trump may be over. He happily took his money as Musk threw his full weight behind Trump’s candidacy, but it’s not clear that Musk can continue to prove himself more useful than annoying in the actual Office. in the Oval. Bannon may be on the outside right now, but he’s got the truth like a cockroach’s ability to survive. The real shame is that one of them had to win. Either way, some of us will lose.