Steve Bannon has come out against Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as ‘close to an unmitigated disaster’ and he’s blaming ‘First Buddy’ Elon Musk for the hire.

The longtime Trump ally, who recently said that the president will run for and win a third term, has been one of the MAGA movement’s biggest critics of Elon, referring to him as a ‘parasitic illegal immigrant.’

Many have been skeptical of Lutnick’s bombastic advocacy of the president in the media but Bannon came out in full force against him Monday on his podcast.

‘Let me be blunt. Lutnick, who is Elon’s pick for Secretary of Treasury, I think he’s close to being an unmitigated disaster. We should see a lot less of Lutnick on TV.’

Bannon was especially hard on a much-criticized statement Lutnick made last week about how iPhone factories would come to America and use both automation and millions of American workers.

‘We’re not doing this so we can set up so robots have a better life. In fact, I don’t know why Lutnick is still doing media,’ Bannon said.

In recent comments on Face the Nation, Howard Lutnick — who is a regular on TV talking about tariffs — delivered a rant insisting that American factories will be automated.

Seconds later, he claimed they’ll be staffed by American workers.

‘The army of millions and millions of human beings screwing in little screws to make iPhones, that kind of thing is going to come to America,’ he said.

‘Our high school educated Americans — the core to our workforce, is going to have the greatest resurgence of jobs in the history of America to work on these high-tech factories, which are all coming to America.

‘That’s what’s going to build our next generation of America.’

Bannon scoffed at Lutnick’s flip flop.

‘No, Howard Lutnick, it’s not going to all be done by robots, he said, adding that you can’t be ‘America first’ without bringing back manufacturing jobs.

Bannon argued for some replacements, including Elon nemesis Peter Navarro, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and economic adviser.

As far the public face of the operation, Bannon suggested a familiar face instead of Lutnick’s.

‘Stephen Miller should be doing more about trade and about this new economic order that we’re trying to hammer through,’ he said.

In mid-March, Politico published a story pointing fingers at Lutnick.

‘He’s trying to be a mini-Trump. I don’t think he got the memo that only Trump gets to be Trump,’ a source close to the administration said of Lutnick. ‘It just reinforces that he doesn’t really know how to do the job.’

The source also said that Lutnick is ‘constantly auditioning for Trump’s approval.’

Sources also told the news outlet that Lutnick’s recent television appearances showed that he lacked a basic understanding of how the economy worked and how tariffs would impact it.

Lutnick, the former head of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, also gave a rosier economic picture than he was supposed to.

He said in March on Meet the Press that Americans should ‘absolutely not’ brace for a recession.

Lutnick’s interview aired shortly before Trump, in a pre-taped conversation with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo, wouldn’t rule out a recession.

Trump has acknowledged that his tariffs could create some short term economic pain for consumers but argued the import taxes would help the U.S. in the longterm.

‘Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again. And it’s happening, and it will happen rather quickly,’ Trump said during his joint address to Congress in early March.

‘There will be a little disturbance, but we’re OK with that,’ Trump added. ‘It won’t be much.’

Trump insiders may be more willing to talk negatively about Lutnick because his Wall Street roots don’t necessarily gel with the pro-tariff crowd.

Trump’s longtime trade adviser, Peter Navarro, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are considered to be more solid, true believers.

‘Every member of the Trump administration is aligned on finally leveling the playing field for American industries and workers,’ White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to DailyMail.com Tuesday afternoon.

The White House had been asked if Trump continued to have confidence in Lutnick.

‘President Trump has assembled the best and brightest trade team in modern American history to reignite American Greatness, and they are hard at work following the same playbook,’ Desai added.

President Donald Trump (left) shows off a newly signed executive order alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (right). Lutnick’s Wall Street roots – at the helm of the firm Cantor Fitzgerald – have made some in the MAGAverse skeptical of him

It’s clear that Trump has great affection for Lutnick.

At his swearing-in ceremony in late February, Trump, again told Lutnick’s September 11, 2001 story – how Lutnick wasn’t in the North Tower because he was taking his son Kyle to school.

‘You should leave him more than the other kids,’ Trump joked.

Cantor Fitzgerald horrifically 658 of its 960 New York-based employees in the terror attacks and Howard lost his younger brother Gary.

During Lutnick’s swearing-in, Trump also teased him for previously being a Democrat.

In turn, Lutnick called Trump ‘the smartest, most thoughtful and most intuitive person I’ve ever met.’

‘And it is really it’s amazing to be in this room and to work for him,’ the Commerce Secretary said.

[H/T Daily Mail]