Elon Musk turns X into stage for public clash with Trump
This clash is the latest example of how Musk uses the platform as his stage, turning it into a kind of reality show where millions watch his dramatic posts and reactions.
And people are definitely watching.
The argument has sparked jokes, memes, and excitement among users. Many people say X feels "fun" again, like in its early Twitter days. While it's unclear if this fight will have a long-term impact on X's popularity or ad revenue, Musk reposted a meme suggesting it has at least boosted user activity. CEO Linda Yaccarino also supported that view.
"X is driven by personalities, and Musk's public fights often attract attention and increase user engagement — at least for a while," said Sarah Kreps, head of Cornell University's Tech Policy Institute. "The platform uses drama as a way to grow, and people often click in when things get controversial."
Trump, who was banned from Twitter in 2021 after the Capitol riot, now mainly uses his platform, Truth Social. However, that site is much smaller than X. Trump has about 106 million followers on X, compared to fewer than 10 million on Truth Social. Despite the argument, he posted on Truth Social at least 10 times on May 6 but hasn't posted on X since June 3. The White House account, however, continues to post updates on X.
Experts say Trump's platform is still limited in reach. "Truth Social mostly appeals to Trump's base," Kreps said. "Even if Trump fully returned to Truth Social and left X, it would only slightly affect X's political audience — unless a big shift in users followed him."
So far, Trump hasn't said he's leaving X, and Musk hasn't suggested banning him either. Still, their online feud made both platforms busier than usual. Data from app analytics firm Sensor Tower showed that mobile activity on both X and Truth Social jumped during the feud. Between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern on May 5, X's U.S. user activity rose by 54 percent, and Truth Social saw a fivefold increase. Still, X's overall audience is about 100 times larger.
On another platform called BlueSky, users watched the drama unfold and shared memes, screenshots, and jokes about Musk and Trump. BlueSky has attracted people unhappy with Musk's leadership of X but is not likely to become a favorite for Trump supporters.
Kreps says it's too early to know if this clash will make users leave or stay. "X's political users are usually loyal, even when drama happens. Unless Trump supporters feel seriously pushed away or if content rules change, most will stay," she said. "Right now, it's just a personal fight, not a political split."
As for advertising, Jasmine Enberg, an expert at Emarketer, believes the feud won't change much. "Some advertisers may step back if they were worried about Musk's ties to Trump," she said. However, there are still bigger concerns, such as a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation into possible illegal advertising news boycotts. That keeps companies cautious.
In the end, Enberg added, "Musk remains a controversial figure. Even if X tries to highlight content everyone agrees on, it won't matter much if Musk keeps using the platform to promote conflict and personal views."
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