The spectacular fallout between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk has become a source of mockery and intrigue in Moscow, where senior officials and media figures are treating the public feud as both comedy and opportunity.
"Elon, don’t be upset!" posted nationalist senator Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Russia's space agency, on Musk’s platform X. "If you encounter insurmountable problems in the US, come to us. Here you will find reliable comrades and complete freedom of technical creativity," he added, in a tone mixing humour with a clear invitation.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took the trolling a step further, offering to mediate between the feuding duo. “We are ready to facilitate the conclusion of a peace deal between D and E for a reasonable fee,” he wrote on X, before jokingly requesting Starlink shares as payment.
As per the news agency Reuters, the episode has been widely ridiculed as an example of chaos in Washington, with Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT, deriding it as “modern US political culture, sort of like the English Industrial Revolution. Only in reverse.”
The Trump-Musk relationship imploded after Musk criticised Trump’s flagship legislative proposal as an “abomination.”
Trump responded with rare public disappointment, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore.” He later suggested slashing Musk's lucrative government contracts, saying, “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”
The spat escalated quickly, with Musk accusing Trump of “ingratitude” and reposting claims that the president appeared in government documents linked to Jeffrey Epstein, allegations he shared without providing evidence.
The feud also triggered a $100 billion drop in Tesla’s market value and prompted Musk to threaten decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, a key part of Nasa missions, before walking it back.
The Russian elite appears to be relishing the distraction. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by Reuters, dismissed the feud as an internal US matter but expressed confidence in Trump’s ability to manage it.
Others, like hardline nationalist businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, saw strategic value in the squabble. “We can just be glad that they won’t have time for us,” he said, calling it “the best time to strike back” against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the White House ruled out any imminent reconciliation. A senior official said that Trump had no plans to speak to Musk, dismissing rumours of a scheduled call. When asked by ABC whether he intended to reconnect with his ex-ally, Trump replied bluntly: “You mean the man who has lost his mind?”
As the public spat continues to reverberate, it has turned into a political spectacle that offers both global amusement and serious implications.
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