President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s war of words has left Washington analyzing how rapidly their as soon as shut relationship deteriorated and the implications.
However social media customers world wide took out their popcorn, flocked to their units, and chimed in because the feud performed out on social media.
From Musk and Trump’s supporters cheering every of them on, with others telling them to chill issues off, to memes from different web customers relishing within the forwards and backwards, platforms like X, Fact Social, and BlueSky have allowed the general public to look at all of it unfold and weigh in in actual time.
“They see this as a catfight,” Jennifer Grygiel, an affiliate professor of communications at Syracuse College, instructed ABC Information. “The one purpose individuals are tuning in is as a result of we’re watching mutual destruction.”
Grygiel famous that whereas a few of the social media engagement is likely to be all enjoyable and video games, it does communicate to a bigger challenge in regards to the public’s dissatisfaction with the present state of politics and civic engagement. Extra necessary, the professor identified, it does distract from the larger political points and debates happening.
As quickly as Musk’s and Trump’s posts dropped Thursday afternoon, social media customers began to publish themselves.
“That is like Drake and Kendrick Lamar however they’re each Drake,” Anna Hughes, a Canadian Ocean conservation researcher in a viral BlueSky post.
One well-known assist of each Trump and Musk urged them to cease.
“Broooos please noooooo ๐ซ We love you each a lot,” rapper Ye posted on X.
Others began making memes, a few of which used AI-generated photos, of Trump and Musk combating or showing as a pair breaking apart.
“LET ME HOST THE REUNION!” late evening discuss present host Andy Cohen posted on X.
The X emblem is proven on a laptop computer on Feb. 10, 2025, in Barcelona, Spain.
NurPhoto through Getty Pictures, FILE
On the intense facet, Republicans on the Hill, together with Home Speaker Mike Johnson and Vice President JD Vance, put out statements on X defending the president and the spending invoice.
“There are numerous lies the company media tells about President Trump. One of the evident is that he is impulsive or short-tempered. Anybody who has seen him function beneath stress is aware of that is ridiculous,” Vance posted.
Conservative commentator Jack Posobiec claimed in an X publish that the pair’s back-and-forth was blown out of proportion.
“A few of y’all cant deal with 2 excessive company males going at it and it actually reveals,” he mentioned.
Some Democrats took to social media to brag.
“Siri, play ‘Dangerous Blood,'” Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer posted on BlueSky Thursday night, referencing the Taylor Swift music a few relationship on the rocks.
The net peanut gallery wasn’t restricted to American spectators.
Dmitri Medvedev, the previous Russian president and Russian prime minister, took to X early Friday morning with a georpolitical dose of sarcasm.
“We’re able to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for an affordable price and to simply accept Starlink shares as fee. Do not combat, guys,” he mentioned.
Grygiel mentioned Trump and Musk knew they’d fire up their political bases and most people by taking their quarrels to their respective social media platforms, likening it to how media tycoons homeowners used the magazines and newspaper they owned on the flip of the twentieth century.
“It is virtually like all of those social media platforms are sports activities groups, with their very own personalities,” they mentioned. “If something each males clearly know the significance of tweaking public opinion.”
Grant Reeher, professor of political science at Syracuse College, instructed ABC Information that Musk and Trump’s use of social media has inspired this political engagement for years.
“I believe it is very emblematic of the entire technique of a number of large adjustments in political communication and campaigning rhetoric.
Grygiel, nevertheless, mentioned the posts and feedback by some social media customers present the general public’s elevated mistrust and frustration with their elected leaders.
On this picture illustration, social media posts by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are displayed on smartphones.
Yassine Mahjoub/SIPA through Shutterstock
“The jokes communicate to an absence of disengagement and the way we really feel like that is ridiculous,” they mentioned.
Grygiel, nevertheless, warned the engagement over the spat is general detrimental to most people as different urgent points, together with Trump’s budget cuts, which set off the feud within the first place.
Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy echoed this sentiment in a blunt BlueSky publish Thursday.
“When 15 million Individuals lose their well being care and plunge into private disaster, none of them are going to present a s— a few made-for-clicks Twitter combat between two billionaires arguing,” he mentioned.
