Rome, 6 June 2025 – The split between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, after months of apparent political and media alliance, dramatically confirms what Dr. Benjamin Harnwell—close associate of Steve Bannon and keen observer of international dynamics between economic and political power—has been saying for some time.
Below is B. Harnwell’s commentary in Paese Roma which confirms what was stated above:
Musk’s explosive words published today on X – “Time to drop the biggest bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That’s the real reason they’ve never been made public” – mark the point of no return in a relationship that had already shown increasingly deep cracks. It is a damning accusation that calls into question the integrity of the Republican leader, coming from someone who, just months ago, appeared to be his most powerful ally in Silicon Valley.
This dramatic rupture only strengthens Harnwell’s interpretation, who had long warned about Musk’s ambiguous and opportunistic character, calling him a “techno-feudalist” driven purely by economic interests and lacking any coherent political vision. “Musk embraces the President only when it suits him,” Harnwell stated in a recent interview, highlighting how the South African entrepreneur has always prioritized personal gain over shared values or a lasting political project.
It is no coincidence that the rift between the two erupted around the passage of the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” the Republican spending package which Musk harshly criticized for not being sufficiently favorable to his business interests—particularly concerning subsidies for electric vehicles. Faced with the prospect of losing billions in government contracts, Musk turned his back on Trump, just as he did in 2017 when he left the presidential councils on the environment and manufacturing.
Steve Bannon, by contrast, has demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the President, even paying the price with jail time for his dedication. A gesture that starkly contrasts with Musk’s tactical approach, abandoning Trump as soon as the political winds shifted.
According to Harnwell, the difference between the two men is clear and substantial: while Musk represents a digital plutocracy guided solely by profit, Bannon embodies a populist-nationalist vision centered on protecting the American working class and real meritocracy—even if it means taxing billionaires like Musk. “They are two irreconcilable weltanschauungen,” Harnwell had declared, and the latest events only confirm this divide.
Even Musk’s attempt to launch a new political party, supported by a viral poll on X, appears more as a marketing ploy or distraction than a genuine effort to build a serious political alternative. As his companies burn billions on the stock market, the former Trump ally seeks to reinvent himself from government-friendly tycoon to supposed bipartisan savior of the nation.
But the mask now seems to have definitively fallen. The “richest man in the world,” whose fortune surged by 40% during his recent rapprochement with the White House, now reveals himself for what many—Harnwell chief among them—had already discerned: a skilled manipulator driven solely by self-interest.
The Musk-Trump affair is not just a break between two powerful individuals. It is the symbol of the crisis of a certain technocratic vision of power—one incapable of maintaining consistency or political loyalty. And it is the final confirmation that, contrary to what many wanted to believe, a serious political project cannot be built with someone who acts purely out of personal interest.
The vision of Steve Bannon and Dr. Harnwell once again proves prophetic: true populism is founded on loyalty, coherence, and the defense of the people—not on the stock price.
