Trump Adviser Bannon Urges Investigation into Musk's Alleged Drug Use and Illegal Residency

Steve Bannon Again Voices Opposition to Musk
Calls for Investigation into DOGE

Steve Bannon, who once served as chief strategist to U.S. President Donald Trump, has called for an investigation into Tesla CEO Elon Musk over allegations of drug use and illegal residency, following Musk's highly publicized clash with President Trump.

According to CBS News, Bannon stated in a phone interview on June 6 (local time) that authorities should "look into Musk's drug use and his possible ties to China."

Bannon also questioned Musk's path to U.S. citizenship, saying, "His citizenship status should be investigated as well." He added, "If he stayed in the country longer than his visa allowed and lied about it, that's not right. This needs to be examined." Musk, who was born in South Africa, reportedly moved to Canada just before his 18th birthday, obtained Canadian citizenship, and later acquired U.S. citizenship in 2002.

Steve Bannon, former White House Chief Strategist. Photo by Yonhap News

Bannon further argued that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk previously headed, should also be closely scrutinized. He stated, "We need to investigate now whether they took materials to input into artificial intelligence (AI) models," emphasizing that this is "a matter of national security." Under Musk's leadership, DOGE was previously embroiled in controversy for collecting large amounts of personal data from Americans across various government agencies.

Bannon's comments came as Musk and President Trump engaged in a public war of words on social media the previous day. Bannon has previously expressed his animosity toward Musk, claiming in 2023 that Musk was "owned" by the Chinese Communist Party, and in January of this year, calling Musk "out of control."

The relationship between President Trump and Musk, once described as a "bromance," deteriorated rapidly after Musk officially stepped down as head of DOGE in the Trump administration and left the White House on May 30. Musk publicly criticized President Trump's tax cut bill, and as Trump expressed his displeasure, tensions between the two escalated. Ultimately, President Trump expressed his anger by saying, "Musk is crazy" and "very disappointed," while Musk called Trump "ungrateful" and went so far as to publicly support Trump's impeachment.

Last year, Musk donated approximately $270 million (about 370 billion won) to President Trump's election campaign.