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1. Steve vs Elon
Donald Trump has always attracted strange bedfellows. Because his ideology is, um, flexible, the sorts of people who wind up close to him come from all over the place in terms of their beliefs.
Which is how Steve Bannon and Elon Musk can technically both fall under the MAGA umbrella. But also why they will never, ever get along.
Here’s Bannon talking to Italian newspaper — why??? — about Elon:
I will get Elon Musk kicked out by the time he’s inaugurated. He won’t have a blue pass with full access to the White House. He’ll be like everyone else.
Added Bannon: “He’s a truly evil person. Stopping him has become a personal issue for me.”
Now, Bannon has made a living on bluster. And it’s not immediately clear — at least to me — how he is going to stop the richest man in the world (and someone who spent upwards of $200 million to get Trump elected last fall!) from gaining access to the president.
Bannon, compared to Musk, is small potatoes. Yes, he once served as a political adviser to Trump in the White House and retains a following among the MAGA ranks due to his popular “War Room” podcast. But his ability to nix peoples’ access to the incoming president seems, er, limited to me.
But whether Bannon can actually get Musk “kicked out” by inauguration is sort of besides the point. What Bannon’s comments highlight is the fractious coalition of people and beliefs gathered uncomfortably under the MAGA banner.
Let me explain:
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