Steve Bannon on Elon Musk and the Battle for Trump's Ear

[WVK]

very interesting interview by the New York Times

Timestamps (Powered by Merlin AI) 00:04 - Steve Bannon critiques oligarchs and their influence on populism. 02:17 - Steve Bannon's influence and journey in Trump's political sphere. 06:34 - Steve Bannon critiques the lack of accountability for the 2008 financial crisis. 08:29 - Steve Bannon discusses the rise of populism from the Tea Party to Trump. 12:50 - Bannon discusses the need for a populist approach in politics. 14:42 - Bannon emphasizes Trump's populism as a challenge to the globalist establishment. 18:49 - Steve Bannon discusses key moments in populist politics and the importance of seizing momentum. 20:47 - Critique of populism and immigration in the context of economic disparity. 24:17 - Hispanic support for Republicans grows with a focus on policy and industry rebuilding. 26:04 - Steve Bannon reflects on Trump's infrastructure policy failures. 29:44 - Emergence of strategic policy groups bridging populism and traditional Republicanism. 31:42 - Bannon discusses the need to deconstruct the administrative state for populist voter concerns. 35:18 - Bannon criticizes Trump's tax policies, emphasizing the need for spending cuts. 37:08 - Steve Bannon criticizes current defense spending and advocates for tax reform. 40:47 - Silicon Valley's influence and challenges within the Trump administration. 42:39 - Critique of Silicon Valley's influence on democracy and technofeudalism. 46:06 - Elon Musk's financial support highlights a shift towards technofeudalism and urgent threats from AI. 47:54 - Steve Bannon discusses Elon Musk's role in transhumanism and AI concerns. 51:51 - Debate on AI management approaches amidst geopolitical tensions. 53:45 - Steve Bannon critiques Musk's technocratic views versus populism. 57:13 - Steve Bannon criticizes Silicon Valley's values and its impact on American society. 59:07 - Bannon emphasizes the urgent need for national security awareness amid global power struggles. 1:02:40 - Populism is intricately linked to Trump's personality and character. 1:04:37 - Bannon discusses Trump's leadership and the challenges of political disagreements. 1:08:02 - Steve Bannon emphasizes the importance of influencing Trump's decision-making.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSLe3-OGBU

 

[Piney]

The guy isn't stupid.

Unlike other liars, Bannon actually is a self made man. 

[Doc Socks Junior]

Also already posted here in #111:

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/topic/383808-steve-bannon-condemns-elon-musk-as-‘racist’-and-‘truly-evil’/?do=findComment&comment=7871515

 

Edited February 12 by Doc Socks Junior

[Tatetopa]

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.

[Doc Socks Junior]

5 hours ago, Piney said:

The guy isn't stupid.

Unlike other liars, Bannon actually is a self made man. 

You can see the appeal of his worldview, to be sure. And he's got some personability to - you can practically see him giving Ross the ole rub and tug under the table.

Probably an open question as to where Bannon, a philosopher and standard bearer of MAGA, stands currently. My suspicion is that the Yarvin/Thiel wing of technofeudalist billionaires is more ascendant and meaningful right now.

[Piney]

3 minutes ago, Doc Socks Junior said:

You can see the appeal of his worldview, to be sure. And he's got some personability to - you can practically see him giving Ross the ole rub and tug under the table.

Probably an open question as to where Bannon, a philosopher and standard bearer of MAGA, stands currently. My suspicion is that the Yarvin/Thiel wing of technofeudalist billionaires is more ascendant and meaningful right now.

Muskrat and Petey rule right now.

But their fall will be very unpleasant and won't be long coming.

 

[Doc Socks Junior]

24 minutes ago, Piney said:

Muskrat and Petey rule right now.

But their fall will be very unpleasant and won't be long coming.

 

Someone's an optimist.

[Piney]

8 minutes ago, Doc Socks Junior said:

Someone's an optimist.

What most liberals don't understand is Hitler was a soldier. His closest followers soldiers. Not business grifters and tech bros.

There is no true loyalty in commerce. Only among those who took risks together. 

When has a clerk given his life for another? Or sacrificed himself for a mid level manager.

It won't last...

 

[Tatetopa]

I enjoyed the video of the Musk /Trump press conference.  There was Elon the big CEO called in, still wearing his casual clothes, and bringing in his son to straighten out the mess  while his district manager slumps at his desk and cringes away from Elon's son.

Seems like a textbook photo of dominance in action.

[WVK]

55 minutes ago, Piney said:

It won't last...

 

Correct

Musk will co-lead the department with Vivek Ramaswamy, with a timetable to conclude the work no later than July 4, 2026. 

https://www.satellitetoday.com/government-military/2024/11/13/elon-musks-new-government-efficiency-job-pros-and-cons-for-the-satellite-industry/

[Tatetopa]

38 minutes ago, WVK said:

Correct

Musk will co-lead the department with Vivek Ramaswamy, with a timetable to conclude the work no later than July 4, 2026. 

https://www.satellitetoday.com/government-military/2024/11/13/elon-musks-new-government-efficiency-job-pros-and-cons-for-the-satellite-industry/

I think Vivek has already been pushed out of the nest. Announcing your patriotic termination date at the onset is kind of like announcing the date your forces will withdraw after their invasion,

[WVK]

On 2/12/2025 at 4:23 PM, Tatetopa said:

I think Vivek has already been pushed out of the nest. Announcing your patriotic termination date at the onset is kind of like announcing the date your forces will withdraw after their invasion,

It would appear that by then the audit will be completed. I understand that AI technology is being used to sort through the data. I guess it will be up to the Congress as what to do with the results

 Mr. Tate you and others here have, in the past, expressed the desire for a reform party but realized the establishment Washington would never allow it. Trump, warts and all, is that reform party yet you seem to want them to fail. I don’t get that.

[Tatetopa]

4 hours ago, WVK said:

Mr. Tate you and others here have, in the past, expressed the desire for a reform party but realized the establishment Washington would never allow it. Trump, warts and all, is that reform party yet you seem to want them to fail. I don’t get that.

Thank you for noticing. Yes I do want a reform of government, and I think there is a lot of corruption and waste. 

First. If our democracy cannot be saved by adhering to the Constitution and the laws that stem from it, then it is a flawed system and will fail.   I still believe that it is one of the best systems ever devised for governance and is worth maintaining.

The separation of powers into  law making, enforcement, and judication  was designed too provide checks and keep too much power from residing in any one branch. When the executive controls the purse and can ignore the judiciary, then it has too much power and endangers a democracy of the people by the people and for the people by  becoming an authoritarian ruler.

Second. The people most responsible for corrupting our politicians with lobbying and campaign donations now surround Donald Trump, the billionaire elites. Elon is among those.  Most of the agencies he is throwing into the wood chipper were investigating his companies for labor, safety, or currency reasons.  He is shaping the government to his needs and the needs of his fellow elites not the average citizen.

Transparency means you show the numbers not wave your arms and tell stories. A forensic audit finds fraud.  A tech bro list of all the payments to everybody is just a chance to skim the list and cross off things you don't like and tell people this is for their own good.  Talking to people is not transparency without truth and facts.

Third. Incompetence will lead to disaster.  The president has gone to pains to assemble a cabinet of amateurs whose only qualification is loyalty to him.  These are people concerned with promoting the president's revenge and dreams of grandeur, not the good of the United States. Along this path lies another Russia with state controlled propaganda and lies about anything getting better for the common people. Its a way to prevent internal disruption, but not keep us safe as a nation from our competitors, or even natural disasters.

[Katniss]

4 hours ago, WVK said:

It would appear that by then the audit will be completed. I understand that AI technology is being used to sort through the data. I guess it will be up to the Congress as what to do with the results

 Mr. Tate you and others here have, in the past, expressed the desire for a reform party but realized the establishment Washington would never allow it. Trump, warts and all, is that reform party yet you seem to want them to fail. I don’t get that.

Because those people are oligarchs that have an absolutist mindset. They are not for the people, by the people. They want to reform everything under their power and control and screw over the little guy. Don't you get that? They think they are the lords of this country and the rest of us are serfs to whip us as they please. And they already do that without controlling the government. How is it you don't see that? Foxes pretending to guard the hen house.

[WVK]

1 hour ago, Katniss said:

Because those people are oligarchs that have an absolutist mindset. They are not for the people, by the people. They want to reform everything under their power and control and screw over the little guy. Don't you get that? They think they are the lords of this country and the rest of us are serfs to whip us as they please. And they already do that without controlling the government. How is it you don't see that? Foxes pretending to guard the hen house.

I don’t see any of that. You got it backwards. In any event we shall see.

[Katniss]

28 minutes ago, WVK said:

I don’t see any of that. You got it backwards. In any event we shall see.

Then you don't have the ability to read or see through people very well or you don't want to and would rather believe what you want to believe instead of what is factual. I have to say though, I feel MAGA leaders like Steve Bannon is transparent in some of the things he says sometimes, and he does have my ear.  But I don't agree with him on everything.

[Katniss]

Meanwhile, Steve Bannon said this,

Bannon Warns Trump and Musk: There’s ‘A Lot of MAGAs on Medicaid’ and They ‘Can’t Take a Meat Axe To It’

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/yfpXA28y.mp4

At timestamp 1:38

https://www.newsbreak.com/mediaite-520570/3811090511742-bannon-warns-trump-and-musk-there-s-a-lot-of-magas-on-medicaid-and-they-can-t-take-a-meat-axe-to-it

[WVK]

3 hours ago, Tatetopa said:

Thank you for noticing. Yes I do want a reform of government, and I think there is a lot of corruption and waste. 

First. If our democracy cannot be saved by adhering to the Constitution and the laws that stem from it, then it is a flawed system and will fail.   I still believe that it is one of the best systems ever devised for governance and is worth maintaining.

The separation of powers into  law making, enforcement, and judication  was designed too provide checks and keep too much power from residing in any one branch. When the executive controls the purse and can ignore the judiciary, then it has too much power and endangers a democracy of the people by the people and for the people by  becoming an authoritarian ruler.

Second. The people most responsible for corrupting our politicians with lobbying and campaign donations now surround Donald Trump, the billionaire elites. Elon is among those.  Most of the agencies he is throwing into the wood chipper were investigating his companies for labor, safety, or currency reasons.  He is shaping the government to his needs and the needs of his fellow elites not the average citizen.

Transparency means you show the numbers not wave your arms and tell stories. A forensic audit finds fraud.  A tech bro list of all the payments to everybody is just a chance to skim the list and cross off things you don't like and tell people this is for their own good.  Talking to people is not transparency without truth and facts.

Third. Incompetence will lead to disaster.  The president has gone to pains to assemble a cabinet of amateurs whose only qualification is loyalty to him.  These are people concerned with promoting the president's revenge and dreams of grandeur, not the good of the United States. Along this path lies another Russia with state controlled propaganda and lies about anything getting better for the common people. Its a way to prevent internal disruption, but not keep us safe as a nation from our competitors, or even natural disasters.

You could be right but it to me  your scenario is worst case.  What you describe has been going on long before Trump.
32 trillion in debt is not the result of prior competence.  

[WVK]

2 hours ago, Katniss said:

Then you don't have the ability to read or see through people very well or you don't want to and would rather believe what you want to believe instead of what is factual.

That can work both ways.

[Golden Duck]

On 2/13/2025 at 7:40 AM, WVK said:

Correct

Musk will co-lead the department with Vivek Ramaswamy, with a timetable to conclude the work no later than July 4, 2026. 

https://www.satellitetoday.com/government-military/2024/11/13/elon-musks-new-government-efficiency-job-pros-and-cons-for-the-satellite-industry/

I suppose in three months time you will give us an update how Ramaswamy quit after Inauguration. 

[WVK]

4 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

I suppose in three months time you will give us an update how Ramaswamy quit after Inauguration. 

Say what?

[Golden Duck]

16 minutes ago, WVK said:

Say what?

You article was from months ago.  It's stale information.

Ramaswamy quit weeks ago.

You're welcome.

[WVK]

5 minutes ago, Golden Duck said:

You article was from months ago.  It's stale information.

Ramaswamy quit weeks ago.

You're welcome.

Has the end date changed?

The organization was created to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity" by an executive order by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, and is scheduled to end on July 4, 2026.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Government_Efficiency#:~:text=The organization was created to,end on July 4%2C 2026.

[Golden Duck]

55 minutes ago, WVK said:

Has the end date changed?

The organization was created to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity" by an executive order by President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025, and is scheduled to end on July 4, 2026.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Government_Efficiency#:~:text=The organization was created to,end on July 4%2C 2026.

The text you chose to quote said Ramaswamy was a joint leader, which is out of date.

I'm not sure you understand the structure.  From the official site:

Quote

There is further established within [United States DOGE Service], in accordance with section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, a temporary organization known as “the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization”. 

The DOGE Temporary Organisation has an end date proclaimed in the EO.  But, DOGE will keep going.

Here is the real site:

https://doge.gov/

It is amusing that the full name is a pleonasm - The United States Department Of Government Efficiency Service.

Edited February 15 by Golden Duck

[Tatetopa]

1 hour ago, WVK said:

You could be right but it to me  your scenario is worst case.  What you describe has been going on long before Trump.
32 trillion in debt is not the result of prior competence.  

Yes, it has been going along for a long time as standard practice in Washington DC. Politicians work for who pays them.  Get rid of lobbyists, revolving door hires, add term limits, and limit campaign contributions with no more hidden ones. But follow the laws and Constitution when we do it..  A president who wanted to clean up that waste might replace Inspector Generals, but not just fire them all.  It could be done without the disruption and fanfare.

Just as a point of interest,  Donald had a large impact on increasing the deficit, quite a bit of it for an unfunded tax cut. I do not think we will see a reversal of that trend during the second term.  My concern is with the lack of  transparency and the arm waving explanations.  I do not think the American people will see a penny of the billions they claim to save.  It might as well be a game with fake gold and in game achievements, nothing in reality. It will be a smokescreen while Trump increases the deficit with another tax cut..

https://www.crfb.org/papers/trump-and-biden-national-debt