Considered one of many Imply Woman references dominating the Musk-Trump feud feed (through X, all screenshots Isa Farfan/Hyperallergic)
Elonald. Elump. Trelon. Trusk. Mump. No matter mixed moniker you gave Elon Musk and Donald Trump as they labored in tandem to decrease any vestige of a social security internet that remained in the USA, say goodbye to it, as a result of it’s over.
Musk introduced his departure from the federal authorities final week in what initially seemed to be an amicable parting. Tensions between the 2, nonetheless, flared shortly on the Musk-owned X platform after Trump withdrew his choose to run NASA — Jared Isaacman, a detailed affiliate of Musk — and because the billionaire, who favors slimming authorities funding, criticized Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” as “pork-filled.” In response, Trump threatened to chop Musk’s authorities subsidies and contracts. What adopted was a collection of advert hominem assaults, leading to Musk saying he would decommission a spacecraft constructed by his firm SpaceX that was being utilized by NASA.
He’s been by means of rather a lot this yr. (screenshot through X)
The standoff set off a flurry of meme developments surrounding Musk and Trump’s emotional volatility, together with comparisons to the protagonists of Dumb and Dumber (1994). As a crew, Trump and Musk successfully paralyzed the federal authorities in a collection of funding cuts, a few of which have been challenged by the courts for circumventing congressional powers. Musk, not less than within the public eye, appeared to share a deep friendship with Trump because the unelected chief of the elusive Division of Governmental Effectivity (DOGE).
Who’s Elon, and who’s Trump? (screenshot through Reddit)
The web has lowered the Trump-Musk fallout to teenage lady conduct and rom-com break-up plots. Whereas these and different references harp on homophobic and misogynistic tropes, I’ll take something that dismantles the egos of those males.
Lots of the memes idealize Trump and Musk as a “bromance,” a time period that describes a non-romantic relationship between straight males (why can’t they simply say friendship?!). Like related homophobic phrases that invalidate queerness, similar to “no homo” and “girl crush,” the idea of “bromance” carries a latent power that rejects same-sex attraction. It says: “Look, a relationship between two men that is not gay!”
Exhibit A: use of the time period “bromance” (screenshot through X)
Trump has appeared in images with the convicted intercourse offender, who was imprisoned for trafficking younger ladies on the time of his obvious suicide, however among the recordsdata surrounding the infamous prison’s conduct stay sealed. Epstein reportedly referred to himself as Trump’s “closest friend.”
Inside two hours of Musk’s allegation, sports activities journalist Jamele Hill posted a screengrab of the second Kendrick Lamar accused Drake of being a pedophile throughout his efficiency of “Not Like Us” on the Tremendous Bowl halftime present. Grok, an AI owned by Musk’s agency xAI, responded to the submit with a generated picture recreating the scene, with Musk as Lamar.
Say, [Trump]… (screenshot through X)
Regardless of the seriousness of Musk’s allegations in opposition to Trump, a lot of the viral content material circulating this week likens the fallout between arguably the 2 most influential males in international politics to a female battle, invoking the “burn book” from Imply Ladies (2004), wherein a catty group of teenage ladies create a scrapbook of their worst enemies.
Confessions on confessions on confessions (screenshot through X)
One other meme envisions stick figures of Trump and Musk splayed out on their beds, kicking their legs up as they lie on their stomachs, typing on their telephones, a fixture posture of 2000s tv’s unidimensional ladies characters like Intercourse And The Metropolis’s Carrie Bradshaw.
Kicking their ft! (screenshot through X)
The memes which have sprouted from the Trump/Musk feud poke enjoyable at a ridiculous and corrupt relationship that has predictably soured and reveal the fragility of the egos and social functioning of highly effective males. However these photos additionally resort to the oldest trick within the guide: calling your playground enemy a “sissy.” We are able to do higher than that.
It’s essential to notice that this use of AI is insane. (screenshot through X)
Don’t put a bumper sticker on a Bentley. (screenshot through X)
I couldn’t consider a greater man for the job. (screenshot through X)
People rarely bond with each other nowadays. (screenshot through X)
(screenshot through X)
I knew this advert would resurface at an excellent time. (screenshot through X)
