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Musk vs Trump gets wild: Tax tantrums, Epstein shockers & meme wars erupt
What began as a high-profile alliance between two of the most powerful men in the world—US President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk—has publicly imploded, giving rise to a bitter feud that's playing out in real time on social media, and flooding the internet with viral memes.
The fallout began shortly after Musk quit the Trump admin's DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) gig when he roasted Trump's new tax bill on X as a 'disgusting abomination.'
'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,' Musk posted on X.
The legislation, which has already cleared the House and is being debated in the Senate, includes sweeping cuts to green energy subsidies—many of which benefit Musk-owned ventures like Tesla and SpaceX.
From bromance to blow-up
Trump did not take Musk's criticism lightly. In a retaliatory post on Truth Social, the President accused Musk of hypocrisy and threatened to cut off federal contracts to Musk's companies.
'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' Trump wrote.
He went on to say, 'I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted [that he knew for months I was going to do!], and he just went CRAZY!'
The feud quickly escalated into a full-blown social media war, with Musk making explosive allegations. He posted: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!'
Musk even shared a throwback video of Trump partying with Jeffrey Epstein, further inflaming the controversy.
Social media turns into meme central
As the two billionaires traded barbs, users across social platforms couldn't get enough. X became a battleground not only for their feud, but also for meme-makers who had a field day.
One user posted, 'It's great that Musk vs Trump is free-to-air and not pay-per-view, so we can all enjoy it. #MuskVsTrump'.
It's great that Musk Vs Trump is free-to-air and not pay-per-view, so we can all enjoy it. #MuskVsTrump pic.twitter.com/B4QBV2iUyq
— Joe (@MrJoeGooch) June 5, 2025
Another called it a 'blockbuster crossover' comparing it to the Drake vs Kendrick Lamar rap feud and Mean Girls teen drama.
One viral meme showed a Tesla car ablaze in front of Trump Plaza, while another repurposed a scene from The Simpsons to mock the drama.
I'll leave this here… #muskvstrump pic.twitter.com/rIWw416JRc
— Nunzio Presta (@nunziopresta) June 5, 2025
The current state of global Geopolitics. #muskvstrump pic.twitter.com/tTcpvoYtHB
— Tull McAdoo (@TullMcAdoo) June 5, 2025
A third user posted, 'Russia, China, and North Korea watching Musk and Trump go at it like…'
Simpsons Elon musk vs Donald trump monkey fight. pic.twitter.com/yGJnWHPavt
— Meme For Programmers || Mathematicians (@MathRestaurant) June 5, 2025
Seems like a great time to pull out this meme again ???? #muskvstrump pic.twitter.com/w0mV7Q2Vc4
— Deb???? ???????? (@intjgamergirl) June 5, 2025
OK, we need a Trump/Musk meme thread pic.twitter.com/t2DJdrf1O6
— Pepel Klaasa (@pepel_klaasa) June 5, 2025
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