Elon Musk's Trump Impeachment Call Is This the End of the Road?

Article Heading: No 'Going Back' for Elon Musk After Calling for Trump Impeachment, Says Steve Bannon

The escalating feud between Elon Musk and President Trump has reached a critical juncture, with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon declaring that Musk has "crossed the Rubicon" and that there's "no going back." The clash stems from Musk's criticism of a multi-trillion dollar spending bill championed by Trump, which subsequently led to Trump threatening to cut federal contracts with Musk's companies, including SpaceX.

The tension further intensified when Musk echoed sentiments on his social media platform X, calling for President Trump to be impeached. This, according to Bannon, marks a point of no return.

Bannon's Perspective: A National Security Issue?

Bannon, a prominent figure in right-wing populism and an early supporter of Trump, shared his views on the matter during an interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep. He emphasized the severity of the situation, suggesting it transcends a mere personal disagreement.

Key points from Bannon's interview include:

• Lost Privileges: Bannon claimed that Musk had requested an extension to remain a special government employee, which was denied by President Trump.
• Unfulfilled Promises: The President was expecting Elon to help reduce government waste, fraud, abuse and he has not turned up any fraud.
• National Security Concerns: Bannon raised concerns about Musk's alleged drug use, his financial ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and his purported request for private briefings on top-secret information. Bannon questions Elon's legal status in the U.S.

Inskeep: Do you believe it is good for Trump to have this very public breakup?

Bannon: Whether it's good or not, it's a reality. The president's done gone out of his way to make sure that Elon had every opportunity, all the support, admiration, resources. [Trump] took him and his son and some of his children into his family [for] Christmas, all that. Elon asked for an extension to stay and the president denied it. And I think that was the beginning of this friction. And as I've said before, since December, this was inevitable. And so I just think the president needs to deal with it as a national security issue now.

Inskeep: I think that that one thing you said there I had not specifically heard before. You believe that Elon Musk had asked for an extension of his time as a special government employee?

Bannon: Yeah, I think it's Marc Caputo at Axios, said that Elon had asked for an extension or some sort of workaround to the limitation of his time. And it was denied. And the president said it was time to kind of move on. And also, remember, the president is sitting there saying, like, where's the trillion dollars? You said you were going to get a trillion dollars of waste, fraud, abuse. And quite frankly, he hasn't turned up any fraud. So there's been a lot of tension. And Elon Musk, like the 11 year old child he is, didn't take it very well.

Inskeep: Is Trump really going to follow your advice to cancel his government contracts, his companies government contracts?

Bannon: Steve, look, I think that this is not personal now. I think we have as a country a national security issue here. We have an individual that The New York Times has said has a massive drug problem, and that has not been refuted. We have an individual that has a deep financial and business relationship with the Chinese Communist Party. And we know he's asked for private briefings of top secret information. He's also somehow involved in this invitation to President Xi Jinping to come to the inauguration. You have someone whose legal status is in question. You can't deport people from all over the world because the Third World countries that came here at the invitation of the Biden regime and we've a white South African who may be here illegally were here. It's just not right.

A Point of No Return?

Bannon believes Musk's call for Trump's impeachment, particularly the comparison to the Epstein files and suggesting JD Vance as a replacement, was the ultimate transgression. "He crossed the Rubicon and there's no going back," Bannon stated emphatically.

Inskeep: As dramatic as all of this seems right now, Bill Ackman, another billionaire in the trump coalition, said publicly they should make up. Elon seemed to agree with that. Politico is now reporting that there's a call of some kind scheduled with the president. Is it possible this whole thing was all just a social media tempest and it's going to blow over?

Bannon: He crossed the Rubicon. It's one thing to make comments about spending on the bill. There's another thing about what he did. You can't sit there and first or try to destroy the bill. You can't come out and say kill the present most important legislative occurrence of this first term, number one. Number two, he crossed the Rubicon by this outrageous comparison to the Epstein files about saying President Trump should be impeached, replaced by JD Vance. This is so outrageous. It has crossed the line. He's crossed the Rubicon and there's no going back.

The Future of the Feud

While the situation remains fluid, with reports of potential calls between Musk and Trump, Bannon's assessment paints a stark picture of a relationship fractured beyond repair. Whether this is a temporary spat or a permanent schism remains to be seen, but the implications for both Musk's business ventures and the political landscape are significant.

The unfolding drama serves as a reminder of the intricate interplay between politics, business, and personalities in the modern era, where social media amplifies every conflict and blurs the lines between personal opinions and national security concerns.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/06/nx-s1-5424732/trump-musk-feud-steve-bannon