Stephen K. Bannon, one of Elon Musk’s most vocal critics, said he was advising the president to cancel all of the tech billionaire’s contracts and launch several investigations into the world’s richest man.
“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,” said Mr. Bannon, the former top aide to President Trump who is now an influential outside ally and informal adviser.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump had a public falling out on Thursday, as each attacked the other on social media. Mr. Musk, who leads the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the rocket company SpaceX and the artificial intelligence start-up xAI, left his role last week as a special government adviser tasked with slashing federal spending.
Mr. Musk’s companies have received billions in federal contracts over the years, and in 2023, his companies were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different contracts with 17 federal agencies.
Mr. Bannon said the Trump administration should also investigate Mr. Musk’s drug use, as reported by The New York Times, and his effort to get a classified briefing on China from the Pentagon.
Mr. Musk’s security clearance should be suspended during these investigations, he added.
Tyler Pager is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering President Trump and his administration.
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