Washington — Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has called on Donald Trump to take drastic action against Elon Musk, urging the former president to launch an investigation into Musk’s immigration status and to seize control of his aerospace firm, SpaceX, under emergency powers.
Speaking on his War Room podcast Thursday, Bannon demanded that Trump invoke the Defence Production Act (DPA)—a rarely used Cold War-era law—to bring SpaceX under federal control, following Musk’s controversial remarks suggesting he may withdraw the company’s cooperation with NASA missions to the International Space Station.
“President Trump should sign an executive order tonight and invoke the Defense Production Act to seize SpaceX before midnight,” Bannon said.
While the DPA gives the president broad authority to direct private industry for national defence needs, it does not grant the power to seize businesses outright—an important legal caveat in Bannon’s call.
The former strategist also pushed for a federal probe into Musk’s legal residency, claiming—without evidence—that the billionaire entrepreneur may have entered the U.S. illegally.
“I strongly believe he is an illegal alien and should be deported immediately,” Bannon told the New York Times.
Bannon further suggested that Musk’s security clearance be suspended, citing alleged drug use and an unverified attempt by Musk to gain access to a classified Pentagon briefing on China.
The escalating rhetoric follows days of online clashes between Musk and Trump, culminating in Musk accusing the Trump administration on the social media platform X of withholding documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO implied the documents remain sealed because Trump’s name might appear in them.
Musk also appeared to signal support for Vice President JD Vance replacing Trump via impeachment, marking a sharp political turn for the billionaire who once served as Trump’s head of the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency.
On Thursday, Trump responded to the growing tension, telling reporters from the Oval Office that he was “disappointed” in Musk, despite their previously close relationship.
“Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said. “He hasn’t attacked me personally yet, but I suppose that’s coming.”
Shortly after, Musk seemed to soften his stance, reportedly backing away from earlier suggestions he might deactivate the Dragon spacecraft, which is used for NASA missions to the ISS.
Still, the political and personal fallout has deepened. Bannon, who has long been critical of Musk, branded him “a parasitic illegal immigrant” in a February interview with British outlet UnHerd, accusing him of pushing “freak experiments” onto American institutions.
“Trump empowered him more than anyone in government history,” Bannon said on Thursday. “But Musk only works for Musk. The moment he didn’t get what he wanted, he turned on Trump, turned on MAGA, and turned on the country.”
Bannon warned that Musk could align with progressives, fund political opponents, and seek to influence future elections, adding:
“Let’s not wait until he writes a $500 million check to help impeach Trump—we need to get ahead of it now.”
