【Global Times Dispatches from the United States – Special Correspondents Dai Runzhi, Chen Zishao, and Global Times Special Correspondent Li Jing】Editor’s Note: On July 1st, a right-wing figure in the United States, Ben Carson, joined the verbal sparring between President Donald Trump and entrepreneur Elon Musk. Ben Carson, who once served as the White House Chief Strategist during Trump’s first term, suggested that Musk “go back to South Africa,” while Musk predicted that Ben Carson would “return to prison.” The conflict between these two individuals has been brewing for some time, stemming from the internal battle within the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) camp—a clash between populist zealots and techno-rightists. Some believe that this division could impact the Republican Party’s future. Analysts have pointed out that this dispute may not significantly affect the country’s foreign policy at this moment, given Trump’s absolute control over the Republican Party.
“Musk is Out of the Race” vs. “Ben Carson Will Return to Prison”
“Musk has been eliminated,” said in recent days, following President Trump’s renewed attack on entrepreneur Elon Musk over the “bigger, better” bill, former senior strategic advisor to Trump, Ben Carson, also joined the fray. According to reports by outlets like the Beast, on July 1st, Ben Carson stated in his podcast show “The War Room” that Musk should “go back to South Africa.” In response, Musk declared that Ben Carson would “return to prison.”
This isn’t the first time these two have had a heated argument. Before this, Ben Carson described Musk as “parasitic illegal immigrants,” “the real scoundrel,” claiming that the tech giant only cares about its own interests, disregards workers and voters, doesn’t care about Trump’s campaign promises to them, and “will stab the Republicans in the back.” At the beginning of June, Ben Carson urged prosecutors to investigate Musk’s alleged drug use and suggested that the White House “nationalize SpaceX with new management.” Musk repeatedly referred to Ben Carson as “mentally ill.”
“The long-standing hostility between Bannock and Musk highlights a major contradiction at the core of the MAGA movement,” reported The New York Times. This contradiction has led figures like Bannock to stand in opposition to the interests of the super-wealthy conglomerate represented by Musk. Media outlets such as The Atlantic have noted that the White House coalition consists of two distinct yet overlapping factions: one represented by Bannock, known as the far-right nationalist or MAGA populists, and another represented by Musk, the tech-right wing. According to reports from multiple American media outlets, figures associated with MAGA populism also include Trump’s senior trade and manufacturing advisor, Navajo, and the White House Chief of Staff, Miller.
According to reports from websites like Business Insider, 71-year-old Bannock holds significant influence in Washington and is at the top of the conceptualization of the MAGA philosophy. Bannock claims he speaks daily with Navajo, who was once a co-host of “War Room.” U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is referred to by Bannock as “my man.” The Guardian reported that Miller is the architect of this administration’s tough immigration policies and a key figure in recent Los Angeles unrest. Miller, born into an affluent Jewish family in Los Angeles, had previously urged ICE staff to intensify their efforts to arrest immigrants, fulfilling a promise made by Trump during his last campaign. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, in May of this year, at an ICE meeting, Miller ordered agency staff to abandon their usual practice of compiling lists of illegal immigrant suspects and instead conduct large-scale arrests in areas where illegal immigrants congregate, such as Home Depot. Miller’s anti-immigration stance was evident during his high school years.
In 2013, with Miller’s assistance, Republican Senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions, disrupted a bipartisan legislation aimed at paving the way for undocumented immigrants.
Opposing the tech right, which includes figures like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, alongside Silicon Valley giants such as David Sacks, there was a counter-culture of MAGA extremists. “They are all white South Africans… Why should white South Africans comment on what is happening in the United States?” Bannock once asked.
Bannock wanted to see the White House implement a more comprehensive populist agenda. In an audio report titled “Bannock Fights for the Soul of MAGA” by The New York Times on July 1st, it was noted that for Bannock, the MAGA movement has three pillars: limiting free trade, restricting immigration, and ending “perpetual war.” He believes these pillars are crucial to the development of the MAGA movement, and during Trump’s second term, there were threats to the MAGA agenda, including those from the tech right. Bannock stated that some Silicon Valley high-tech companies do not create jobs for Americans but rather significantly reduce job opportunities. He also mentioned that when Trump won key “swing states” Pennsylvania in early November last year, most Silicon Valley elites began supporting the Republican Party, “they (the Silicon Valley elite) are neither MAGA nor conservative.”
Qiang Geo, Dean of the School of Marxism at Nanjing University of Technology and a distinguished professor, told The Global Times that the tech right can be categorized as MAGA individuals who share the fundamental goal of “making America great again.” They pursue technological advancements and believe that promoting progress in technology requires a strong America. Zhang Tengjun, Deputy Director of the U.S. Institute of International Studies at the China International Studies University, in an interview with The Global Times, said that there is a relationship of interest between MAGA extremists and the tech right.
In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, both parties coalesce around a common goal: firstly, the tech right hopes to leverage MAGA, especially conservative forces represented by Trump, to eliminate or overturn the Democratic policies that have dominated in the past, characterized by neoliberalism, which they believe have hindered technological development; secondly, the tech right itself tends towards conservatism, aligning somewhat with MAGA; and finally, MAGA populist needs financial support from the tech right to achieve their strategic layout in the election.
According to media reports such as The Atlantic Monthly, both MAGA populists and tech right-wingers believe that the United States is “becoming weaker,” prioritizing the needs of vulnerable groups at the expense of the most productive ones. During last year’s U.S. elections, these two groups were easily able to agree on Trump’s election goals. MAGA populists were pleased when Musk promoted the right-wing ideology on his social media platform X. Meanwhile, the tech right opposes the Democratic Party’s diversification policies across various fields, which align with MAGA’s stance.
“The disagreements extend far beyond trade and immigration issues.”
“The ‘battle of gods’ within the MAGA camp,” according to Vanity Fair magazine, Trump has expanded the MAGA camp into a “political tentacle” that includes all sorts of people, but the alliance between the tech right and populists is “the most precarious,” with the latter hoping to destroy the influence of tech giants through money on government. The Washington Post reported that the MAGA movement is a coalition composed of various forces, with its core leader Trump being relatively weak in terms of ideological beliefs, leading to inevitable conceptual conflicts among members gathered under him.
As early as late last year, Bannock and Musk had clashed over H-1B visas.
澳大利亚“对话”新闻网报道称，以马斯克为代表的硅谷精英已经表明了自己的立场，他们希望增加技术工人签证的数量，将更多的技术人才带到美国。这种扩大H-1B签证的立场让MAGA民粹主义者怒火中烧。班农嘲笑H-1B签证计划是“彻头彻尾的骗局”。《华盛顿邮报》表示，旧金山金融科技投资企业“更好明天风投”公司的联合创始人莫诺特称，这是外界第一次看到MAGA右翼和科技右翼之间的分裂。
在关税问题上，MAGA民粹主义者和科技右翼也立场不同。据“德国之声”今年4月报道，面对由美国所谓“对等关税”引发的市场动荡和民众不满，马斯克罕见地公开表达反对，不仅提出建立欧美零关税自由贸易区的设想，还直指纳瓦罗“没有建树”。“商业内幕”网站称，4月美国关税政策导致股市震荡时，贝森特的高级顾问普雷特曾打电话给班农，希望与班农就贝森特在白宫外对发表的安抚市场的言论进行磋商。当时，班农对贝森特表达了支持。
据《大西洋月刊》报道，MAGA民粹主义者希望在经济问题上优先考虑并帮助美国传统核心家庭，即使这样需要牺牲一些美国企业的商业利益；科技右翼则想要一个放松管制的经济环境，以提升其利润。MAGA民粹主义者希望让美国回到他们认为稳定繁荣的前互联网时代，而科技右翼希望引领一个大胆的、面向全球的新经济。
The Washington Post also mentioned that in recent months, as the White House tightened its visa policies for international students and cut university research funding, it has jeopardized talent in science and technology, leading to a “new fault line” emerging among MAGA populists and tech right-wingers.
According to New Line Magazine, the growing differences between MAGA populists and tech right-wingers are not limited to trade and immigration issues but extend to sovereignty, administrative theory, and the will of the people. The magazine cited an incident on March 9th when Elon Musk clashed with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, highlighting Musk’s ambiguous role within the “Government Efficiency Department,” which clashed with the roles of well-known Republican figures like Pompeo.
Does this concern the future of Trumpism?
According to Politico, after the dispute between MAGA populists and tech right-wingers emerged, Vice President Mike Pence attempted to position himself as a mediator between the two groups. Pence stated that the disagreements between the two camps were not as challenging as external observers believed. “The notion that technological progress advocates and populists would inevitably clash is incorrect,” he said at a tech summit hosted by venture capitalist Anderson, who represents tech right-wingers. After decades of deindustrialization in the United States, including tariffs and immigration restrictions, the current administration’s agenda aims to create an environment where innovation and re-industrialization can mutually benefit.
Notably, the conflicts mainly involving MAGA populists, represented by Benton, have been with Musk. While some Silicon Valley elites have expressed support for Musk, many tech right-wingers have remained silent during these disputes. According to The Washington Post, despite the ideological differences putting pressure on the tech right-wing and MAGA political alliance, the policies implemented by the current administration have overall been beneficial for Silicon Valley.
Peter Thiel, along with others, founded Analytical Data Corporation Parlandial, which has signed multi-billion dollar contracts with the Pentagon. In May this year, the White House facilitated a $数十亿美元的交易 between Middle Eastern AI companies and American businesses, also repealing the Biden administration’s executive order that set barriers for artificial intelligence. These achievements have won support from the tech industry. Additionally, tech right-wingers have been appointed to key positions in the U.S. government, including Uber’s former executive Michael who was recently confirmed for senior roles at the Pentagon.
While there are disagreements between tech right-wingers and MAGA populists, the former understand that staying within this alliance can bring them many benefits. The tech community is also aware that loyalty is important to the current administration. However, some supporters of Musk express confusion about the future of the MAGA populist and tech right-wing alliance. “For me, Musk staying here is significant,” said an anonymous Silicon Valley technology executive.
There is a view that the disagreement between MAGA populists and tech right-wingers is not merely an ideological conflict but a power struggle over the future of Trumpism. According to New Line Magazine, the deepening cracks between the two sides may determine the future of the Republican Party. Meanwhile, Australia’s “Dialogue” News Network pointed out that as many experts have noted, Trump tends towards transactional thinking rather than making judgments based on ideology. He prefers decisions based on public opinion surveys rather than principles. Qiang Ge told Global Times that although there are internal divisions within Trump’s inner circle, this does not significantly impact America’s foreign policy for the time being, as Trump has absolute control over the Republican camp.