Few political fallouts have drawn as much global attention — and online commentary — as the very public split between Donald Trump and Elon Musk.
Once viewed as an unlikely power duo that symbolized American oligarchic influence, the now-fractured relationship between the U.S. president and the world’s richest man has become the subject of intense scrutiny, especially on Chinese social media — where Musk enjoys near rockstar status.
The latest twist in their saga came after Musk doubled down on threats to unseat lawmakers who supported Trump’s massive tax and spending bill — legislation Musk slammed as “insane” and warned would balloon the U.S. national debt by over $3 trillion. After the bill narrowly passed the Senate this week, Musk went a step further, vowing to launch a new political force: the “America Party.”
That announcement sparked a frenzy on China’s Twitter-like platform, Weibo. The hashtag #MuskWantsToBuildAnAmericaParty quickly exploded, racking up over 37 million views by Wednesday evening.
“If Elon Musk really started a political party, his tech-savvy vision might bring much-needed disruption to the political system,” one Weibo user wrote. Another posted: “When you’ve had enough, you stop tolerating it.”
The general sentiment on Chinese social media was overwhelmingly pro-Musk. One comment summed it up: “Brother Musk, you’ve got over a billion of us behind you.”
Musk’s popularity in China is well established. He is revered for his visionary leadership at Tesla and SpaceX, and Tesla remains one of the few Western car brands that competes head-to-head with China’s domestic EV makers. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory is its most productive globally, and Musk is seen as having strong ties with Chinese leadership, especially Premier Li Qiang. His mother, Maye Musk, has also carved out a celebrity presence in China.
This adoration fits a broader pattern: Chinese audiences have long embraced American tech visionaries. Walter Isaacson’s biographies of Steve Jobs and Elon Musk became bestsellers in China, feeding into the country’s admiration for entrepreneurial success stories.
Trump, by contrast, remains a divisive figure in China. While some see him as a larger-than-life entertainer, many remember him for initiating the most combative trade war against China in recent memory.
Some Chinese netizens poked fun at the Trump-Musk feud. “Two grown men bickering in public — and the entire world’s watching,” one user joked. Another quipped, “Every day Musk gives us a masterclass in ‘How Billionaires Argue’.”
Interestingly, the online discussion has faced little censorship — a rare thing on China’s tightly monitored internet. Analysts suggest authorities may view the spectacle of American political dysfunction as a useful contrast to China’s controlled governance.
For now, Musk’s drama with Trump may continue playing out in Washington, but it’s clear that the saga has found an unexpectedly captivated audience across the Pacific.
