From ‘Mean Girl' Trump to Musk leading a Russian coup – internet's best reactions to the explosive Don v Elon clash
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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.
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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
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Social media exploded as Trump and Musk publicly went at each other online
Credit: X
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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.
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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.
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A clever AI generated image portrayed Trump as Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin and Musk as one of his purged officials
Credit: X
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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.
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One of the viral posts featured an image of the billionaire in a khaki jacket pointing at the camera
Credit: X
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The pose was an echo of Wagner leader Prigozhin when he launched a botched coup on Moscow
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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.
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Some speculated that Trump may simply replace Musk with Mark Zuckerberg
Credit: X
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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.
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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.
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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.
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