The public feud between US President Donald Trump and his former “first buddy” has generated a flurry of reactions from Americans and people from around the world.
The duo, considered to have formed one of the strongest alliances in American politics, fell out after President Trump introduced the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which seeks to implement several policy changes.
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Mr Musk had called the bill “pork-filled disgusting abomination,” which should never have been passed by the US House of Representatives.
The former allies engaged in a public war of words on Thursday after President Trump expressed disappointment in Mr Musk’s criticism, with Mr Musk alleging that President Trump has ties to convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
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“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Mr Musk wrote on X, his social media platform.
President Trump later announced plans to terminate Mr Musk’s government contracts in a Truth Social post, saying, the easiest way to save money” would be to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
Mr Musk, in response, said SpaceX, his private aerospace company, would begin decommissioning its Dragon Spacecraft.
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The Dragon spacecraft has been a critical component of NASA’s operations, serving as the primary vehicle for transporting astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS).
And at one point, Mr Musk even endorsed the possibility of impeaching the president and removing him from office, installing Vice President JD Vance in his stead.
How Americans responded
The feud between the former allies captivated global audiences and triggered a spectrum of reactions, from political upheavals and market tremors to a deluge of internet memes.
Among Americans, the reaction has been divided. Some have chosen to side with President Trump or Mr Musk, and some others have opposed both sides.
Conservative commentator Laura Loomer, who took sides with President Trump, made a series of posts reacting to the feud.
In one of these posts, she said, “President Trump is a good man. He is not on the Epstein List either. He is very unfairly attacked.”
Another Conservative commentator, Candace Owens, posted, “My favourite part of this is going to be everyone who jumped on me for never joining the Elon-worship party, now do a complete 180. His character was always apparent. You guys were just acting like groupies.”
Meanwhile, a democrat and member of the US Congress wrote, “Going to need a Big Beautiful Bucket of popcorn for this ugly brawl.”
Eric Swalwell, a California congressman, in a post on X wrote, “Donald, without @elonmusk, you wouldn’t be President now. You’d be a Prisoner,” referring to Mr Musk’s statement that President Trump would not have won the election without him.
Jamie Raskin, representing Maryland’s congressional district in the House, wrote, “Trump wants oversight of Musk’s billions in government contracts and Musk wants oversight of Trump’s role in the Epstein child sex abuse scandal.”
Sarah McBride, another democrat, described the feud as the “Big Beautiful Breakup.”
Other reactions
Across different social media platforms, the tension between both parties has been described as the “greatest divorce of America.”
Conservative writer Ashley Clair, who once claimed that Mr Musk is the father of her child, asked President Trump on X to let her know if he needed “any breakup advice.”
Users have been mocking and speculating as two of the world’s most prominent figures clash in public. A clash that has ignited a meme frenzy.
A congressman, Ruben Gallego, posted a meme which read, “Let them fight.”
Meanwhile, Arnaud Bertrand, a political commentator and foreign policy analyst, wrote, “Sometimes I wonder how the media would write about what’s happening in the US if it were just covered as the banana republic it’s rapidly turning into.
“It’d probably go something like this: “Escalating Power Struggle Between Strongman and Key Oligarch Threatens Regime Stability.”
Franklin Leonard, an X user, wrote, “The funniest possible outcome is definitely Trump deporting him.”
A Facebook user, Kelly Knox, wrote, “Trump and Musk’s messy divorce is the gayest thing I’ve seen so far this.”
Another Nigerian user, Ifeanyi Obiagwu, reacting to the clash, posted, “I mean, just look at Donald Trump and Elon Musk, what was once a “beautiful marriage” has turned into an ugly public divorce. Titties flying, not so secret secrets exposed. It’s chaotic and we’re here for it….. Ahem, we of cos feel sad for them.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Colbert during his monologue on The Late Show on Wednesday, said, “We gather this evening on a momentous night, because yesterday, in Washington, the thinkable happened. There’s now trouble brewing between the president and former first buddy, Elon Musk. No, no, I’m starting to worry that two narcissistic megalomaniacs, with a total inability to see value in other humans, might have a hard time making friends.”
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