From ‘Mean Girl' Trump to Musk leading a Russian coup – internet's best reactions to the explosive Don v Elon clash
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
ELON Musk sent the internet into a crazy spiral on Thursday as he publicly lashed out at former friend Donald Trump on X.
The US president was quick to hit back at the Tesla boss with several bitter barbs of his own as their feud suddenly reignited in front of the world.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
15
Elon Musk sent the internet into a crazy spiral on Thursday as he publicly lashed out at former friend Donald Trump on X
Credit: AFP
15
Social media exploded as Trump and Musk publicly went at each other online
Credit: X
15
Some described it as 'the MAGA powers exploding' in a clever call back to one of the most iconic wrestling feuds between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage
Credit: X
The internet had been eagerly watching the nuclear dispute as it unfolded after hours of outlandish Jefferey Epstein claims and brutal impeachment barbs by Musk.
Trump hit back on Truth Social saying Elon was "wearing thin" around the White House.
He later warned the US government could end all federal contracts with Musk's companies if the insults continued to fly.
Here are social media's best reactions to the intense clash between the two mega powers.
Mean girl Trump
Famous 2004 film Mean Girls has managed to create a long lasting legacy online with the Trump/Musk feud now even being linked to the movie.
The picture shared online is taken from the perspective of Musk who is looking at the iconic "Burn Book" from the film.
15
Trump's face has been added to the page in place of Mean Girl's villain Regina George
Credit: X
Trump's face has been added to the page in place of Mean Girl's villain Regina George.
The text above the image is the exact same as in the movie which says: "This girl is the nastiest skank b***h I've ever met. Do NOT TRUST HER. She is a fugly s***!"
Trump's Stalinist purge
One of the quickest memes to emerge from the explosive fallout was an expertly AI generated image of a steely-faced Trump dressed as Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin.
A smiley Musk was stood next to him.
But a second image posted alongside it showed Musk suddenly disappearing from the picture.
The two-part joke was hinting at a possible "Great Purge" being ordered by Trump similar to what Stalin ordered in the mid 1930s.
15
A clever AI generated image portrayed Trump as Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin and Musk as one of his purged officials
Credit: X
15
The real picture of Stalin which was edited with the faces of Musk and Trump
Credit: Alamy
The purge - also known as the Great Terror - is a damning historical period which saw Stalin axe dozens of his political allies in the Soviet Union.
Any threat to Stalin's regime was made to go through sham trials which resulted in them being removed from any form of power.
The government claimed they were getting rid of suspected party dissenters.
The meme was posted shortly after Trump announced on Truth Social that he in fact asked Musk to leave his role within the US government.
The president said the SpaceX chief was "wearing thin" and "went crazy" during his final weeks close to the White House.
Musk's Russian-style coup
Musk is a famously persuasive man with him even claiming on Thursday he is the main reason why America re-elected Trump.
This created a whole load of hilarious comments and tweets on X as some jokingly ordered Musk to launch a coup on Washington.
One of the viral posts featured an image of the billionaire in a khaki jacket pointing at the camera.
15
One of the viral posts featured an image of the billionaire in a khaki jacket pointing at the camera
Credit: X
15
The pose was an echo of Wagner leader Prigozhin when he launched a botched coup on Moscow
15
Musk claimed on Thursday he is the main reason why America re-elected Trump
Credit: X
The pose and outfit had a striking similarity to Wagner group leader Prigozhin who launched a botched coup against Putin by marching on Moscow.
It was followed by the caption: "Reports that Muskovite forces led by Elon Musk are preparing to march on Washington."
The term Muskovite has been used before by Russian state television.
In October 2023, they hailed the world's richest man after he posted a meme of himself ridiculing Ukraine for asking for US aid during the war.
In response, Kremlin TV presenter Olga Skabeyeva described the tech mogul as "Elon the Muscovite" on Russia-1.
Billionaire for billionaire
As Trump and Musk's relationship capitulated before the internet's eyes, many users jumped at the chance to speculate on a potential replacement to join Trump's inner circle.
The leading candidate was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The Zuck and Elon already share a number of similarities.
They both sit at the very top of the official world's rich list with Musk at number one and Zuckerberg sat just behind in second.
15
Some speculated that Trump may simply replace Musk with Mark Zuckerberg
Credit: X
15
Zuckerberg and Musk were joined by fellow billionaires Jeff Bezos and Sundar Pichai at Trump's inauguration ceremony
Credit: AP
And both men own major social media platforms.
Musk famously acquired Twitter and transformed it into X whereas Zuckerberg created Facebook, now Meta, in 2004.
Trump already has a growing relationship with Zuckerberg after Meta donated $1m (£786,000) to an inauguration fund for the president.
The pair also shared dinner together at Mar-a-Lago in November.
But much like with Musk, the two have shared a turbulent past.
In 2017, Trump hit out at Facebook for being "anti-Trump" after the platform banned his account following the Capitol riots on January, 6, 2021.
Cybertruck conundrum
Two of the most liked memes circulating around the internet on Thursday featured Tesla Cybertrucks.
The powerful beasts are the brainchild of Musk and his remarkable staff at Tesla factories across the US.
But for one unlucky motorist his Cybertruck may be forced to stay in the garage forever after the public spat.
An image shows a parked up Tesla with the American flag emblazoned on the side in truly patriotic fashion.
15
15
Musk even joined Trump back on the stage where the president was shot
Credit: AFP
But superimposed over the top is the image of a defiant Trump just seconds after he was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania last year.
The legendary photo shows the bleeding Republican with his fist raised high in the air as secret service agents crowd around him.
The moment is notable in regards to the Trump/Musk feud as the assassination attempt is believed to be one of the main reasons why Musk joined team Trump.
15
The second Tesla related meme shows the burning wreckage of a Cybertruck sat next to Trump Hotel in Las Vegas
Credit: X
It has even been revealed that Trump is yet to remove the Cybertruck he was gifted by Musk from the White House parking garage.
The second Tesla related meme shows the burning wreckage of a Cybertruck sat next to Trump Hotel in Las Vegas.
The image is taken from the tragic New Year's Day incident when former soldier Matthew Livelsberger shot himself in the head just seconds before blowing up the Tesla.
The X user suggests the flaming Cybertruck is comparable to how Musk has ignited a fiery feud with Trump.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
37 minutes ago
- Spectator
Trump's Iran strike is a victory for the free world
Tel Aviv To America and Israel, the free world owes a debt – for courage, for clarity, for doing what had to be done. When the moment came, they did not hesitate. They bore the weight, braved the cost, and moved with the strength history demands. When Israel first struck inside Iran nine days ago, its government made a fateful decision: to sound the sirens and send its people into bomb shelters across the country. It was a moment of collective alertness, a signal that the threat was near and real. Last night, there were no sirens. No mass alerts. Most of Israel slept soundly as the United States acted with precision, strength, and resolve to bomb Iran's nuclear sites. That difference – between fear and confidence, between warning and control – speaks volumes about what has changed. This was perhaps the most complex and devastating non-nuclear strike in modern history This was a historic moment, and not because it came out of nowhere. Quite the opposite. This was the logical and necessary conclusion of a path the Islamic Republic of Iran refused to abandon. The United States and Israel did not want this war. They offered negotiations. They extended time. They warned. They gave the regime in Tehran every opportunity to reverse course, to step back from its genocidal ambitions, its nuclear obsession, and its campaign of regional subversion. But Iran did not flinch. It lied, stalled, cheated, plotted, and prepared. It never paused its pursuit of the bomb or its dream of erasing Israel. And so, at the hour of consequence, America acted. Twelve GBU-57 'bunker-buster' bombs, delivered by American B-2 Spirit bombers, struck Iran's fortified nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. Fordow – long regarded as the crown jewel of the regime's clandestine enrichment programme – was among the primary targets. Dozens of Tomahawk missiles were launched at Natanz and Fordow from submarines. This was not symbolic. It was strategic, surgical, and overwhelming. According to President Trump, the sites were 'completely and totally obliterated.' Iran's nuclear infrastructure has suffered a decisive and unprecedented blow. President Trump, in a nationally televised address, declared the operation a 'spectacular military success.' And he was right. But what is most telling is what he said next: that the Iranian regime must now make peace, or face far greater destruction. 'Tonight's was the most difficult of them all,' he warned, 'and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.' No bravado. Just clarity. Just strength. Peace is not the fruit of balance, but of victory. From Carthage to Berlin, it is the victor who dictates the terms, who defines the future, who writes the rules. So it must be again. This clarity is what Britain and much of the West have lacked. While Israel acted, Britain and countless others criticised, threatened, and tried every diplomatic lever to tie Israel's hands and halt its response. They failed. Where others equivocated, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu planned, prepared, and executed. For over a year and a half, Israel has dismantled Iran's network of proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis – with discipline and endurance. Each strike, each operation, was a message: step back. Iran refused. Now the regime is left with rubble, not leverage. Some voices will say this is escalation. One of them, predictably, was António Guterres. The UN Secretary-General, whose career has been defined by impotence in the face of aggression, condemned the strikes and warned of catastrophe. The United Nations, once conceived as a guardian of peace, has become an echo chamber of moral equivocation, paralysed by autocrats and irrelevant in moments of actual consequence. While Iran built centrifuges, armed proxies, and threatened genocide, the UN debated terminology. Now, when action has finally been taken, it issues pleas for de-escalation, because that is all it has left. But the catastrophe began long ago – with the regime's drive to build a bomb, to wage war through terror, to dominate its region by force and fanaticism. What the world witnessed last night was not provocation. It was justice delayed, finally delivered. This action was not impulsive. A year ago, ABC News now confirms, the United States and Israel practised this strike in joint military exercises. Trump's much-maligned two-week 'pause' was not weakness. It was discipline. It was preparation. It was statesmanship. While the world speculated, while critics sneered with slogans like 'Trump Always Chickens Out,' the President and his team were aligning assets, coordinating allies, and positioning for impact. What followed was perhaps the most complex and devastating non-nuclear strike in modern history. And still the Iranian regime insists it will not relent. Its Atomic Energy Organisation struck a defiant tone, denying the extent of damage and accusing the United States of violating international law. But facts are stubborn things. The sites are gone. The enrichment has stopped. And the world, quietly or openly, knows who preserved peace. Leading Republicans, even those who have broken with Trump in the past, voiced their support. Mike Pence, his former Vice President, said Trump 'should be commended for his decisive leadership.' Mitch McConnell, ever measured, said the President made the right call. That unity matters. Because this was not an act for one country. It was for all free nations. Israel now has operational dominance over Iranian skies. Intelligence cooperation has reached new levels. Thousands of Iranian operatives, long working quietly for the West, have proved decisive. And Israel will continue its campaign, as its own media made clear: 'Israel will continue to attack Iran.' This is how you fight tyranny. This is how you dismantle terror. Not with platitudes, but with power. Not with moral fog, but with moral clarity. The remaking of the Middle East began on 7 October, when Israel awoke to unimaginable horror. It has continued ever since – with resilience, resolve, and ruthless strategic logic. Last night, that logic reached its inevitable conclusion. The question for the rest of the world is simple: which side are you on?
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rare look inside top-secret Situation Room where Trump approved US strikes
The White House has shared a selection of images taking a look inside the Situation Room where Donald Trump made the decision to launch strikes against Iran overnight The White House has shared images inside the top-secret Situation Room where Donald Trump made a history-changing decision to bomb Iran. Earlier this week, Trump said he would make a decision on whether to strike Iran "in the next two weeks" but overnight Donald Trump launched US strikes on Iran, bombing three of their nuclear sites. Giving a short presidential address from the White House, he said the facilities had been"completely and totally obliterated" The decision to directly involve the US came after more than a week of strikes. Israel launched attacks against Iran on June 13, claiming the country was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran then retaliated with its own series of airstrikes. The two countries have continued to trade attacks since. Trump made the decision to launch US strikes against Iran with his national security team inside the Situation Room. The White House has now shared a rare behind-the-scenes look inside the room. In the photos, Trump is seen seated at the head of a long polished table beneath the seal of the President of the United States. He wore his signature red 'Make America Great Again' cap emblazoned with '45-47' on the side, a dark blue suit, white shirt, and bright red tie. Also visible in the room were senior military officers and aides, as they reviewed documents and tracked the mission in real-time. One image showed a table cluttered with folders, coffee cups, water bottles and communication devices. In front of a senior intelligence official, believed to be CIA Director John Ratcliffe, some documents appeared deliberately blurred in the official release. The release of the images came after Trump described the operation as a 'historic moment' for the U.S., Israel, and the world. 'These were precision strikes carried out flawlessly by our great military,' Trump said in his address, thanking God and the troops for their service. Iran's foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, called the "outrageous" attack "extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behaviour". In a post on X he wrote: "The United States, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, has committed a grave violation of the UN Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations. "The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior. In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people." It was the first statement from the Iranian government regarding the US strikes that occurred overnight.
Evening Standard
an hour ago
- Evening Standard
Trump launches airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites as threat of all-out war looms
Trump had campaigned on a promise to keep the US out of costly foreign wars and has consistently downplayed the value of intervention abroad. As recently as Friday, he told reporters he had no interest in deploying American ground troops to Iran, calling it 'the last thing you want to do'.
