It looks like cracks are already ripping through the MAGA world, and Trump hasn’t even been sworn in yet. The latest lightning rod? Elon Musk. MAGA loyalists, led by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, are on the attack, accusing the billionaire tech titan of betraying the movement and siding with “the oligarchs” over hardworking Americans.
At the center of the clash is the H1-B visa system. It’s a program that allows highly skilled workers, like software engineers, to come to the U.S. and work. Musk, who famously emigrated from South Africa, has used these visas to staff his companies. But many in the MAGA camp see the program as a threat to American jobs. Some are even claiming it’s just another way for “the elites” to exploit cheap labor.
On his “War Room” show, Bannon didn’t hold back. “H-1B visas? That’s not what it’s about. It’s about taking American jobs and bringing over essentially what have become indentured servants at lower wages,” he said. “This thing’s a scam by the oligarchs in Silicon Valley to basically take jobs from American citizens, give them to what become indentured servants from foreign countries, and then pay ‘em less. Simple. To let them in through the golden door.”
Adding fuel to the fire is growing resentment in MAGA circles toward Indian tech workers. Trump’s recent nomination of Sriram Krishnan as an AI policy adviser has only amplified the xenophobia.
Meanwhile, Laura Loomer, a MAGA activist and vocal Musk critic, turned up the heat on Musk via his own platform, X (formerly Twitter). Loomer accused Musk of being a “stage 5 clinger” who overstayed his welcome at Mar-a-Lago and slammed him as a roadblock to Trump’s agenda. “The elephant in the room is that Elon Musk, who is not MAGA and never has been, is a total f—— drag on the Trump transition,” she raged.
Loomer also alleged that Musk retaliated by revoking her premium account privileges on X following her criticism of him.
This battle between right-wing businessmen and the MAGA activist class is revealing deep divisions. With Bannon leading the charge and others piling on, it seems the MAGA world is eating itself alive before Trump’s next chapter even begins.
Watch the clip below:
Steve Bannon on H-1B Visas:
“This whole thing about oh…they’re only geniuses…H-1B Visas…that’s NOT what it’s about. It’s about taking American jobs and bringing over essentially what have become indentured servants at lower wages…the thing’s a SCAM by the Oligarchs in Silicon… pic.twitter.com/s9iS0XNZ9M— MAGA Kitty (@SaveUSAKitty) December 27, 2024
