Billionaire tech mogul-turned-political agitator Elon Musk has reignited tensions with MAGA world, this time by alleging that former Trump advisor Steve Bannon is named in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Musk, who has recently distanced himself from President Donald Trump after slamming the former president’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” launched a new attack on Trump’s former campaign chief and senior White House strategist.
“Bannon is in the Epstein files,” Musk posted Tuesday on X without further explanation.
Musk’s post was in response to that of another Trump ally and former adviser, Roger Stone. “Why would Bannon meet with Jeffrey Epstein both at his New York home and in Paris after Epstein was convicted on sex crimes in Florida?” Stone wrote. “Why would he coach Epstein for his 60 minutes appearance?”
The claim appears to be linked to reports that Bannon allegedly assisted the convicted pedophile in preparing for a 60 Minutes interview on CBS that ultimately never aired, the UK’s Daily Mail reported.
“You’re engaging, you’re not threatening, you’re natural, you’re friendly, you don’t look at all creepy, you’re a sympathetic figure,” Bannon reportedly told Epstein during a 2019 coaching session, per journalist Michael Wolff’s book, “Too Famous: The Rich, the Powerful, the Wishful, the Notorious, the Damned.”
Then, Bannon told the New York Times he “never media-trained anyone,” and that his meeting with Epstein was linked to a documentary meant to highlight the convicted pedophile’s “perversions and depravity toward young women.”
Musk’s blunt allegation about Bannon’s ties to the convicted pedophile comes just weeks after he stunned the public by claiming that Donald Trump is also named in the Epstein files. The Tesla CEO offered no direct reference to anything in the actual documents, instead making the claim in response to a social media post.
Roger Stone and Elon Musk say Steve Bannon is in the Epstein files pic.twitter.com/GjyX2noZx2
— kekius tees (@kekmaximusk) July 8, 2025
Musk has since walked back his allegation against Trump. That said, he went at the president again on Tuesday following a leaked Justice Dept. memo claiming there are no “Epstein files.”
“How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk wrote on X.
Trump addressed the Epstein files on Tuesday during a Cabinet meeting, appearing to mock a reporter’s question about the report with a dismissive tone.
“Are you still talking about Epstein? This guy has been talked about for years. Are people still talking about this creep? I can’t believe you’re asking a question about Epstein,” he chided before Attorney General Pam Bondi went on to address the question in part.
Trump’s base—including prominent allies like Tucker Carlson and Glenn Beck—is demanding answers and accusing Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of “lying” to the American people.
“If Jeffrey Epstein had no client list, didn’t have elites raping girls on his island and hadn’t taken part in any blackmail schemes… Then… Why’d he kill himself?” noted content creator Robby Starbuck on the X platform. “Doesn’t pass the smell test Pam Bondi.”
Earlier this year, the Trump administration invited a group of conservative influencers to the White House for a briefing on the Epstein files.
The group was seen leaving the residence holding binders they claimed contained new revelations about the deceased sex offender. However, it was later revealed that the binders were filled with previously released information and offered no major new disclosures.
In February, Bondi stated that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on her desk,” but she has since walked back that claim.
Bannon, for his part, hasn’t held back in criticizing the world’s richest man.
He has repeatedly accused Musk of being a puppet for the Chinese government and has even gone so far as to call for the South African-born billionaire to be deported.
