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Businessman Elon Musk is caught in yet another controversy after he replied to a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Roger Stone, an ally of US President Donald Trump, posted about Steve Bannon's continued meeting with Jeffrey Epstein even after Epstein was arrested in 2019 for sex trafficking.
Musk replied to it by saying:
''Bannon is in the Epstein file.''
Previously, Musk had alleged that Donald Trump was named in the sealed Epstein files, and now, by naming Bannon too, he implies that, because the files have names of powerful political figures, the documents haven’t been fully released.
More about Elon Musk naming Bannon in the Epstein files controversy
The recent controversy involving Steve Bannon in the Epstein files comes amid Musk's public feud with Trump and Bannon, over issues including tax policy and government positions.
As per reports by the Daily Beast, in 2021, it came out that Steve Bannon, who was a former Trump advisor, had spent months meeting with Jeffrey Epstein at his homes in Paris and New York before Epstein was jailed in July 2019.
Bannon said that the reason he was meeting Epstein was that he was interviewing him for a documentary that would expose the corruption in the documents. However, others, including Jeffrey’s brother Mark Epstein, said otherwise. He said that Bannon wasn’t exposing Jeffrey, but rather trying to help improve his image and make him look better to the public, according to reports by Business Insider.
These accusations are a part of Musk’s broader critique of the Trump-aligned administration, the DOJ, and the FBI for not releasing the Epstein documents. When Trump and Musk were in a public feud back in May 2025, Musk called out Trump for his involvement in the secret Jeffrey Epstein files.
He had then faced widespread backlash and took back his comment about Trump being in the files, admitting he 'went too far' in a post on X. However, a few weeks later, Elon criticized Trump again when many of his supporters expected him to expose elite wrongdoers, like those linked to Epstein.
Elon reacted to this by writing on X on July 9, 2025. He said:
''How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?''
The controversy surrounding the Epstein file began when Elon shifted into a more politically vocal role in 2024–2025. The issue grew when the DOJ and FBI’s memo concluding there is no Epstein 'client list' was released recently. Elon's feud with Trump and his efforts to 'expose the Epstein files' have made headlines throughout mid-2025.
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