‘Deport Elon Musk’: Trump ally Steve Bannon demands probe into Tesla CEO's immigration status

Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, on Thursday said that the Trump administration should investigate Elon Musk

Updated on: Jun 6, 2025, 02:56:26 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist, on Thursday told The New York Times that the Trump administration should investigate Elon Musk's immigration status and deport the billionaire. This comes as the Tesla chief accused the president of being ungrateful, further claiming that the Republican couldn't have won the 2024 election ‘without me’.

Elon Musk and Donald Trump clashed over the 'Big Beautiful Bill' on Thursday (AFP)

“They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,” he said in a phone interview with the publication.

Bannon further added that the government should also investigate Elon Musk's alleged drug use, as reported by the NYT recently.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 28, 1971, Musk acquired Canadian citizenship in 1988 through his mother, Maye Musk, a Canadian-born model. He moved to Canada in 1989, studied at Queen’s University, and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, earning bachelor’s degrees in physics and economics by 1997.

The 53-year-old entered the US on an Exchange Visitor Visa (J-1) or F-1 student visa to attend UPenn. He claimed a J-1 visa allowed limited work, but experts note F-1 visas are more common for university study.

Elon Musk was admitted to Stanford’s graduate program in 1995 but never enrolled, instead founding Zip2, an online business directory, with his brother Kimbal, per washingtonpost.com. A 2005 email revealed Musk applied to Stanford to stay legally, as he “had no legal right to stay in the country.”

Trump vs Musk feud

President Trump threatened to cut off government contracts with billionaire Elon Musk's companies, and Musk suggested Trump should be impeached. The president started the feud in remarks at the Oval Office. Musk responded to the Republicans' claim.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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