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Thursday’s fight between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump escalated faster than almost anyone on the right was prepared for. In the immediate aftermath of Musk’s highly inflammatory post, most right-wing pundits on social media responded the way people on the left did: with shock.

As the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones put it: “God Help Us ALL….”

Before Thursday’s events, many conservative influencers had avoided addressing the developing dispute between the two men. But with no remaining ambiguity to Trump’s and Musk’s feelings about each other, the MAGA right was forced into an awkward position. Supporters could not play down the spat; any pundits who didn’t address it would be blatantly sidestepping the biggest story in politics.

But the speed and intensity of the events required quick thinking and rapid evolution in right-wing social media spaces. At 2 p.m. on X, Musk asked if it was “time to create a new political party in America.” At 2:30 p.m., on Truth Social, Trump described Musk as “wearing thin” and going “CRAZY,” before threatening to take away his government contracts. A little after 3, in what he described as “the really big bomb,” Musk accused Trump of being in the “Epstein files.” An hour later, he wrote that Trump should be impeached.

As one writer for the Daily Wire put it on X: “This feels like a crossing the rubicon moment.”

In a sign of how deeply Musk had won over the party, a few major accounts declared that they could not choose sides. But as would be expected, most people who built their brands off the MAGA movement made the safe bet and voiced their support for Trump.

Some, such as the influencer Candace Owens, did so in a celebratory way, insisting they had distrusted Musk all along. Others did so mournfully. “But … I really like both of them,” Sen. Mike Lee posted.

Very few gave any credence to Musk’s claim that Trump is on “the Epstein list.” Most saw the attack as Musk simply lashing out. But even among those who signaled their continued allegiance to Trump, a number still felt enough lingering loyalty to Musk—a man who had just effectively accused the president of being a pedophile—to praise him.

“There will be a lot of fighting and attacks in the days to come, so I just want to say something at the outset,” Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk wrote. “We should never forget how terrible the environment was online prior to October 2022. No matter what happens, I am grateful that Elon Musk bought X and liberated free speech in America. His contribution to America and to civilization from that alone is immense.”

In response, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene commented: “Yes you are right. And we’ve seen the highs and lows before. And I too am thankful @elonmusk bought Twitter and gave me my account back after I was permanently banned. And I’m also glad we won the election and Trump is President. Now we have to work it out and continue to MAGA!”

But there was still some small amount of fighting in MAGA world. Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysian MAGA commentator, took the risky step of backing Musk—and called for Trump’s impeachment.

On the other side, the major account known as Catturd turned aggressively against anyone he saw as failing to stand up for Trump, calling Alex Jones a “fraud” and “sellout”; Jones, a lover of drama, had briefly appeared open to the possibility that Trump actually was on an “Epstein list”. (“I am not in your cult,” Jones wrote in response.)

But the most intense reaction came from Steve Bannon, who had attacked Musk as being “racist” and “truly evil” back when Trump and Musk were still on good terms. On Thursday, Bannon told the New York Times that Musk should be deported. This angered at least a few people on the right, including radio host Dana Loesch, who called Bannon a “drama queen” and a “grifting clown.” (Loesch, who warned that the moment signaled the “season finale of MAGA,” also complained on X: “There is an art to disagreeing and remaining united as a coalition and the right has yet to figure it out.”)

Still, most of the responses could be organized into three categories: expressing support for Trump; making jokes about the chaos; and expressing dismay at the division.

In this last category, there were practical reasons for despair.

“Keeping your team together is one of the great challenges of leadership,” commentator Dinesh D’Souza wrote. “Is it even conceivable the Democrats would alienate George and Alex Soros the way the GOP has alienated Elon Musk? It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. This is an unmitigated disaster for our side.”

Conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer wrote: “China is loving this. Not good.”

Some influencers saw reason for a more profound kind of anxiety, concerned that the rift posed an existential threat to the MAGA project itself.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” wrote Riley Gaines, the former swimmer who gained a following for anti-transgender activism. “The next few days are going to be ugly.”

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Eventually, though, some fantastical thinking set in.

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While some, such as hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, called for Trump and Musk to “make peace for the benefit of our great country,” by the end of the day Thursday, many had insisted there had never been a feud in the first place. According to this theory, what had appeared to be a bitter dispute was actually a coordinated scheme by Musk and Trump to free up the “Epstein list,” which is being held back by sinister liberal actors. When Musk had accused Trump of being on the list, what he was actually doing was playing mind games on the Democrats—with Trump’s permission—and tricking them into releasing the list. Which, of course, would be their undoing.

“When the feud popped off, I said this could be the most epic troll in the history of ever,” influencer Chad Prather said in a video. “Now you got the Democrats demanding the release of the Epstein files.”

People didn’t have to buy into a “5D chess” theory to find a way to play down the fight, though. Some turned to a simpler explanation: Boys will be boys. Or, as Fox News’ Jesse Watters put it on The Five: “Sometimes guys fight. Guys sometimes will punch you in the face, and the next night, you’re having a beer.”

Right-wing commentator Mike Cernovich argued on X: “It’s the natural state of men to kill each other with swords. Panicking over some tweets shows a lack of understanding of the masculine.”

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