Bannon Escalates Trump-Musk Rift, Demands Probe Into Elon Musk’s Citizenship and Security Clearance

By: Fern Sidman

In a dramatic escalation of tensions between two of the most powerful figures in American politics and business, Steve Bannon has called for a sweeping federal investigation into Elon Musk’s U.S. citizenship, raising the stakes in what has become a highly public rupture between the tech billionaire and President Donald Trump.

As reported by VIN News on Thursday, Bannon — Trump’s former chief strategist and longtime political confidant — told The New York Times this week that he believes Musk may have obtained American citizenship improperly, referring to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO as an “illegal alien.” He further urged Trump to “lead the charge” in launching a federal inquiry into Musk’s naturalization and whether he should be deported from the United States.

The incendiary comments, which Bannon delivered during an interview, included additional calls for revoking Musk’s security clearances. Bannon questioned the propriety of Musk having access to national security information, suggesting his alleged personal behavior — including unproven claims of drug use — poses a threat to U.S. interests. “Why does Elon Musk have access to sensitive defense briefings? Who approved this?” Bannon asked, according to the report on VIN News.

Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, became a naturalized American citizen in 2002 after previously living in Canada and the United States under student and work visas. He responded to Bannon’s accusations on X (formerly Twitter), calling them “pure propaganda” and denying any request to attend classified defense briefings involving China. “This is just more distraction and political theater,” Musk posted, a statement cited in the VIN News report.

The public clash follows a week of intensifying friction between Musk and Trump, once close allies during the early months of Trump’s second term. Musk served briefly as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a now-defunct office created to reduce bureaucratic waste and government spending. At the time, Trump hailed Musk’s innovations as vital to “a leaner, smarter America.”

However, as the VIN News report indicated, the two men have grown increasingly estranged. The recent rupture appears to have been triggered by Musk’s outspoken criticism of Trump’s sweeping policy initiative known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” — a Republican legislative package that would extend Trump-era tax cuts, fund increased military and border enforcement, and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime.

Musk, whose electric vehicle empire depends heavily on global supply chains and access to tax incentives, blasted the bill as “a disgusting abomination” that harms innovation and worsens the federal deficit. As VIN News reported, Musk’s break from the administration triggered a wave of political backlash, including sharp rebukes from House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and now Bannon’s call for federal scrutiny.

The feud could not come at a more precarious moment for Republicans. Trump’s legislative agenda is facing stiff resistance from both Democrats and fiscally conservative Republicans, many of whom are uneasy about the bill’s projected $2.4 trillion addition to the national debt over the next decade, according to recent CBO projections.

Now, the war of words between Bannon and Musk threatens to splinter the fragile coalition even further. Sources close to Trump have told VIN News that while the president has not publicly endorsed Bannon’s suggestion of deportation, he has privately expressed frustration with Musk’s growing opposition and questioned his loyalty to the administration.

“Elon is being disloyal — plain and simple,” one Trump aide said anonymously. “He owes his rise in this country to the very system he’s now trashing.”

For Musk’s part, he appears undeterred by the attacks. On social media and in interviews, he has vowed to continue speaking out against what he sees as “corporate welfare disguised as policy reform.” He has also hinted at decreasing his political donations in upcoming election cycles, stating last month: “I think I’ve done enough.”

As VIN News emphasized in its analysis, the rift reflects a broader challenge for the modern Republican coalition, which increasingly finds itself torn between traditional conservative priorities and the populist nationalism that has defined Trump’s presidency.

Whether Bannon’s call for a citizenship probe gains traction remains to be seen. But the episode has already added a new layer of unpredictability as manifested by factional divisions, mounting legal dramas, and shifting political loyalties.

For now, Musk remains defiant, Trump remains silent, and Bannon’s bombshell has ensured the Trump-Musk saga will dominate headlines — and deepen fault lines — for the foreseeable future.