“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”
— African proverb
In today’s world, where billionaires rival presidents in power and tech platforms rival governments in influence, the fallout from elite feuds is not merely symbolic—it’s deeply structural. The recent public brawl between Donald Trump, American President and Republican frontrunner, and Elon Musk, billionaire technocrat and owner of X (formerly Twitter), exemplifies this tension.
What began as an alliance based on shared economic interests and mutual anti-establishment sentiment has evolved into a public war of words. But beneath the social media theatrics lies a sobering question: What does it mean for the average citizen, especially the poor, when two giants collide?
The Origins: An Unlikely Alliance
In 2016, Musk and Trump surprised many when they aligned. Musk joined Trump’s business advisory councils, offering tech-world legitimacy to the businessman-turned-president.
Despite Musk’s public disagreements with Trump on climate change, immigration, and science policy, their cooperation served both well:
- Trump gained credibility in Silicon Valley.
- Musk gained proximity to power at a time Tesla and SpaceX needed government contracts and favorable regulation.
Musk did not vote for Trump, but he played a careful game criticizing specific decisions (like pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord) while keeping lines open to preserve business interests.
From Cold Distance to Open Warfare
After Trump left office, Musk’s political posture evolved.
As he moved further into the free speech absolutist and anti-woke libertarian territory, especially after acquiring Twitter (renamed X), he became an increasingly vocal participant in culture wars, a territory Trump had long dominated.
By 2024, Musk had quietly shown interest in supporting Republican candidates, and even backed Trump again, citing Biden’s economic mismanagement and overregulation.
But the alliance frayed in 2025:
- Trump’s attacks on electric vehicle mandates clashed with Musk’s business model.
- Musk’s refusal to fully moderate far-right misinformation on X drew criticism from Democrats and the Trump camp alike.
- Trump accused Musk of “not being loyal” and mocked him at rallies.
- Musk fired back by promoting memes and posts on X insinuating Trump’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein, calling Trump too old and lacking in vision.
The public feud reached a crescendo with accusations, counteraccusations, and algorithm-boosted ridicule all played out in full view of the world’s digital agora.
Misinformation as a Weapon
The Trump–Musk conflict has unfolded not just in press statements or courtrooms but on X, a platform Musk now controls.
- In the 2024 election cycle, X became a breeding ground for disinformation, including false claims about election fraud and misleading posts about opponents. (CNN)
- Analysts found that Musk’s own posts, as well as those boosted algorithmically, played a central role in spreading politically biased and misleading content.
- Trump, who once depended on Twitter to build his political brand, now found himself partially censored, overshadowed, and even mocked on the platform he once ruled.
As they fought for narrative dominance, the truth became collateral damage.
And as misinformation spread, it was the poor, the digitally vulnerable, and the less media-literate who suffered most—swayed by half-truths, misled by tribal loyalties, and distracted from real policy issues.
When the Grass Gets Trampled: The Human Cost
In this feud between a political demagogue and a techno-libertarian billionaire, the real stakes are not just bruised egos. They are lived realities:
1. The Poor Are Displaced in the Conversation
When Musk and Trump dominate headlines, crucial issues like minimum wage, housing insecurity, and rural healthcare get buried under noise.
2. Policy Becomes Personal
From green energy subsidies to social media regulation, public policy is shaped not by evidence or equity, but by who Musk supports or opposes, or who Trump calls out on Truth Social.
3. Democratic Institutions Undermined
Musk’s refusal to properly moderate hate speech and election disinformation, and Trump’s ongoing attack on election integrity, weaken democratic consensus a structure the poor rely on to access justice, aid, and voice.
4. Tech Platforms as Political Weapons
With X now Musk’s personal megaphone, and with Trump launching his own media network, the public is caught in a crossfire of controlled narratives, where facts are optional and outrage is currency.
Can This Relationship or Its Impact Be Salvaged?
It is tempting to ask if Musk and Trump might reconcile.
Recent behind-the-scenes reports suggest some Republican strategists are pressuring both men to bury the hatchet, especially if Trump wants access to Musk’s platform in the 2026 midterms. (The Sun)
But even if the relationship is mended, it is likely to be transactional, not transformational.
- Trump will want amplification.
- Musk will want policy protections.
- Neither will prioritize the public interest unless it aligns with personal ambition.
So the question is not whether they can reunite but whether we, the public, can build alternative spaces and narratives that prioritize truth, justice, and equality over clickbait feuds.
Speaking for the Grass
The Trump–Musk fallout reveals a dangerous truth about 21st-century power: it is increasingly personal, performative, and privatized.
While these men fight over control of narratives, it is the poor who lose control of their futures.
While they mock each other online, it is low-income families who face rising costs, shrinking opportunities, and a polluted information landscape.
The media must do better. The public must demand better. And scholars, journalists, and activists must not be drawn into the spectacle, but advocate for the real issues hiding in its shadow.
Because when elephants fight, it is not just the grass that suffers. It is our common ground.