The dramatic fallout between the current U.S. president and Elon Musk, the wealthiest person on the planet, has been unfolding on social media. This narrative highlights how X has evolved into Musk’s personal stage, akin to a reality show where his unpredictable nature is showcased for a global audience.
This online saga has generated a flurry of memes and prompted widespread commentary, with users nostalgically celebrating X’s return to its “fun” origins, reminiscent of the days when it was known as Twitter. While it remains uncertain if this clash will leave a lasting impact on X’s user metrics or its advertising revenue, Musk himself shared a meme hinting that, for now, the feud is drawing more active users to the platform. X’s CEO, Linda Yaccarino, concurred with this sentiment.
“X thrives as a personality-centric platform, and Musk’s conspicuous disputes can certainly boost engagement, albeit temporarily,” explained Sarah Kreps, who heads the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell University. “The platform has adopted spectacle as a growth strategy, with controversy often sparking increased traffic.”
Former President Donald Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, posting several comments directly targeting Musk. However, Truth Social’s audience pales in comparison to X’s, and social media analysts currently do not foresee it significantly drawing users away from the former Twitter. Trump, who was banned from Twitter in 2021 after the Capitol riots and returned after Musk reactivated his account, boasts almost 106 million followers on X, while his audience on Truth Social is under 10 million.
“It’s a niche platform that struggles to extend its reach beyond Trump’s loyal base,” noted Kreps. “Nonetheless, if Trump were to completely withdraw from X, it could fragment the conservative audience to some degree. Without mass user migration, though, X remains a dominating force in political conversation.”
Trump hasn’t expressed any intention to leave X, nor has Musk indicated any plans to ban him again. Although Trump hasn’t posted on X since early June, the official White House account continues to update the public there.
Data from Sensor Tower, an analytics company, revealed that mobile app usage surged for both X and Truth Social on the day of the Musk-Trump conflict, occurring across the men’s respective online domains. Active users on X increased by 54% during afternoon hours in the U.S., while Truth Social’s engagement spiked fivefold. Generally, Sensor Tower estimates X’s user base to be approximately 100 times larger than that of Truth Social.
Meanwhile, on BlueSky, users seemed to relish observing the drama unfold, sharing screenshots and memes from both X and Truth Social. Despite BlueSky being a haven for those disenchanted with Musk’s policies, it is unlikely to become a popular hub for staunch Trump supporters.
“It’s early to discern any substantial shifts in user conduct, but X’s political users have proven enduring, even amid controversies,” said Kreps. “Supporters of Trump are unlikely to leave en masse unless persistent tensions or content policy changes push them. In this scenario, it appears to be more of a personal skirmish than a fundamental ideological rift, making extensive user migration speculative at this point.”
Concerning X’s advertising prospects, Jasmine Enberg, an analyst at Emarketer, expressed skepticism about any significant impacts from the feud. “Advertisers who reduced spending on X due to Musk’s association with Trump might reconsider their investments,” she stated. “Simultaneously, the split hasn’t nullified potential legal or commercial risks amid the ongoing FTC investigation into a supposed ad boycott, maintaining some pressure on brands to remain.”
Investigations by the Federal Trade Commission are examining whether various advertising and advocacy groups coordinated boycotts, opting not to have their ads alongside harmful or controversial content.
Ultimately, Enberg concluded, Musk “remains a polarizing figure, irrespective of his role in the public domain,” and efforts by X to reduce divisiveness—such as initiatives to amplify agreeable content—“are limited in their reach with both consumers and brands if controversial content continues to be amplified through Musk’s personal platform usage.”