Trump-Musk Battle Goes Viral Across Social Media \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The explosive fallout between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has played out publicly on their respective platforms, turning social media into a real-time spectacle. While Truth Social saw a brief traffic spike, Musk’s X dominated the digital conversation. Experts say the feud boosts short-term engagement but risks long-term brand stability.
Quick Looks
- Trump and Musk clash publicly on X and Truth Social
- Engagement spikes on both platforms amid political drama
- X’s user base still dwarfs Truth Social by 100 to 1
- Memes and reactions flood social media as feud unfolds
- Experts say X thrives on spectacle but faces advertiser risks
Deep Look
The very public rupture between President Donald Trump and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk erupted across social media this week, transforming their platforms—X and Truth Social—into digital arenas for a personal and political showdown. The drama played out in real time, offering a stark reminder that for Musk, X is more than a social media platform—it’s his stage, his microphone, and in moments like this, his reality show.
And the internet tuned in.
What began as a war of words quickly became a viral phenomenon. The feud generated waves of memes, running commentary, and digital popcorn emojis from users reveling in the chaos. For some, it recalled the unpredictable, meme-laden energy that once defined Twitter before Musk’s rebranding. While the long-term impact on X’s user base and advertising revenue remains unclear, the short-term engagement bump was undeniable.
Late Thursday, Musk himself reposted a meme that appeared to embrace the attention, suggesting the feud was good for business—at least in terms of active user activity. CEO Linda Yaccarino appeared to agree, leaning into the narrative that spectacle equals growth.
“X operates as a personality-driven platform, and Musk’s high-profile conflicts can fuel engagement at least in the short term,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell’s Tech Policy Institute. “The platform has leaned into spectacle as a growth strategy, and controversy often drives traffic.”
President Trump, meanwhile, fired back from Truth Social, posting three times in one afternoon directly targeting Musk. Despite the flurry, Truth Social’s reach remains small by comparison. Trump, who was banned from Twitter in early 2021 and reinstated by Musk more than two years later, still commands an enormous following on X—nearly 106 million followers compared to fewer than 10 million on Truth Social.
Kreps added, “Truth Social is a niche platform with limited reach outside Trump’s base. Even if Trump shifted entirely away from X, it’s unlikely to significantly impact the political discourse unless large-scale migration follows.”
So far, Trump hasn’t hinted at leaving X entirely, and Musk hasn’t threatened to ban him—though Trump hasn’t posted there since June 3. The White House’s official X account, however, continues to post regularly.
According to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, usage on both X and Truth Social spiked dramatically as the feud unfolded. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, X’s U.S. mobile user engagement jumped 54%. Truth Social saw a fivefold increase during the same window. Still, Sensor Tower estimates X’s audience remains approximately 100 times larger than Truth Social’s.
On BlueSky, a smaller alternative platform populated largely by users critical of Musk, the reaction was a mix of fascination and schadenfreude. Screenshots and memes from X and Truth Social circulated widely, although few expect BlueSky to draw Trump loyalists or significantly shift the political social media landscape.
“It’s too early to measure any lasting behavioral change,” Kreps noted. “Political users on X have shown remarkable resilience despite waves of controversy. Unless the Musk–Trump clash becomes sustained and ideologically toxic, user migration is unlikely in the near term.”
Beyond engagement metrics, questions remain about how the feud might affect X’s already-tenuous relationship with advertisers. Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Emarketer, said most advertisers probably won’t respond unless there’s a major shift in Musk’s content strategy.
“Advertisers who were spending small amounts because of Musk’s closeness to Trump may now reassess,” Enberg said. “But the split doesn’t erase ongoing business threats—like the FTC investigation into whether advocacy groups and advertisers coordinated a boycott of X.”
The New York Times reported that the Federal Trade Commission is actively investigating whether a dozen advertising and advocacy groups may have violated antitrust laws by jointly avoiding ad placements on X, citing concerns over hate speech and controversial content.
Enberg said Musk remains a divisive figure: “Regardless of whether he aligns with Trump or not, Elon Musk’s use of X as a megaphone for controversial commentary creates brand instability. Recent attempts to push consensus-based content won’t overcome that if the platform continues to fuel political spectacle.”
In the end, this clash of titans reflects the modern reality of politics and tech: the personal is public, the public is monetized, and the battle for attention never ends. While Musk may thrive on viral chaos and Trump excels at digital dominance, their breakup has blurred the lines between governance, personality, and platform control—raising fresh questions about what role social media will play in shaping the 2026 political landscape.
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