In a surprising twist to a highly public online feud between two of the world’s most influential figures—tech billionaire Elon Musk and US President Donald Trump—peace appears to have been brokered not by officials or advisors, but by an X (formerly Twitter) user with just 184 followers.
The unlikely peacemaker, an X (formerly Twitter) user named Alaska with the handle @Fab25june, replied to one of Musk’s posts at the height of a fiery online exchange with President Trump. “This is a shame this back and forth. You are both better than this. Cool off and take a step back for a couple days,” the user wrote.
(Also read: Meme madness erupts amid Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s blazing public row: ‘Alien vs Predator’)
To everyone’s surprise, Musk responded directly: “Good advice. Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
Take a look here at the post:
A screenshot of the exchange soon went viral with the caption: “An account with 184 followers has achieved de-escalation between two of the most powerful people in the world.”
{{/usCountry}}A screenshot of the exchange soon went viral with the caption: “An account with 184 followers has achieved de-escalation between two of the most powerful people in the world.”
{{/usCountry}}Check out the post here:
Dragon decommissioning drama
The tension began when President Trump, in a post on his platform Truth Social, called for an end to government contracts and subsidies granted 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!” he wrote.
In retaliation, Musk announced: “In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.”
Dragon is SpaceX’s flagship spacecraft, capable of ferrying up to seven people and returning substantial cargo to Earth. “It is the only spacecraft currently flying that is capable of returning significant amounts of cargo to Earth, and is the first private spacecraft to take humans to the space station,” according to the SpaceX website.
From policy to personal
The feud between the Trump and Musk has become increasingly personal. Musk previously criticised President Trump’s tax and spending policy, calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
President Trump fired back, saying, “I’m very disappointed in Elon. I’ve helped Elon a lot. He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn’t said bad about me personally, but I’m sure that’ll be next.”
Musk then claimed credit for Trump’s 2024 re-election, suggesting Trump would have lost without his support. He also accused the President of “such ingratitude.”
In one of the most explosive remarks, Musk 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!” He followed up with: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”