Social media shaped many of 2025’s biggest public fights, with presidents, tech CEOs, lawmakers and pundits trading insults and allegations online. The most consequential feud was between President Trump and Elon Musk, whose split threatened federal contracts and exposed policy tensions. Other headline-grabbing clashes included Governor Gavin Newsom’s provocative press account, Laura Loomer vs. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Thomas Massie’s public pressure over the Epstein files, and the Mark Levin–Tucker Carlson eruption over foreign policy.
X Marks the Spat: The 5 Most Explosive Social Media Feuds of 2025
2025 became a year of public spectacle as high-profile figures turned social platforms into battlegrounds. Presidents, tech CEOs, lawmakers and cable hosts traded barbs, screenshots and all-caps rants that shaped headlines and sometimes policy. Below are the five most consequential and combustible social media feuds of the year.
1. Donald Trump vs. Elon Musk
The most consequential clash unfolded between President Donald Trump and SpaceX/Twitter owner Elon Musk. Once allies after the inauguration—with Musk advising on technology and briefly leading the tongue-in-cheek Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—their relationship unraveled publicly. By June Musk blasted Trump’s "Big Beautiful Bill" as a "MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK," and in July accused the administration of concealing the Epstein files, even flirting with talk of impeachment on X. Trump responded angrily, warning reporters that "DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon," and reportedly discussed rescinding federal contracts tied to Musk’s companies. Musk later conceded some attacks "went too far," but the rift had already strained a high-profile partnership.
2. Governor Gavin Newsom vs. Conservative Critics (Led by Donald Trump)
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s official press account spent much of 2025 adopting deliberately provocative tactics reminiscent of President Trump’s social-media playbook: ALL-CAPS posts, meme-driven graphics and pointed personal taunts aimed at Republican critics. The account’s tone intensified coverage of the June protests in Los Angeles over mass-deportation policies. Trump and his allies repeatedly answered on Truth Social, calling Newsom "Newscum" and "incompetent," turning what might have been typical partisan sparring into a viral back-and-forth.
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3. Laura Loomer vs. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
A long-simmering intra-right dispute between activist Laura Loomer and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) flared in August when Loomer accused Greene on X of hypocrisy over Israel and alleged Greene had sought introductions to "Jewish donors." Greene countered with a screenshot showing Loomer had blocked her, labeled Loomer "a coward," and accused her of falsehoods about fellow Republicans. The clash became intensely personal—including accusations about Greene’s private life—and reemerged in November when Loomer claimed credit for Greene’s shock resignation by posting "LOOMERED."
4. President Trump vs. Rep. Thomas Massie
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) became an outspoken critic of President Trump in 2025, taking aim at rhetoric, fiscal policy, foreign policy and the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein records. Massie publicly pressed for transparency, teaming up with Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ro Khanna (D-CA) to demand the full release of the Epstein files and repeatedly calling out Attorney General Pam Bondi and the administration for missing the December 19 full-release deadline. Trump singled out Massie in a Christmas Day Truth Social post, calling him a "lowlife Republican" and a "Weak and Pathetic RINO," and accusing him of associating with figures tied to Epstein. The dispute highlighted fissures within the right over accountability and policy direction.
5. Mark Levin vs. Tucker Carlson
The rivalry between Fox commentator Mark Levin and former colleague Tucker Carlson exploded into public hostilities over Israel and U.S. foreign policy. In June, after Carlson suggested Levin exaggerated Iran’s nuclear threat to push for regime-change rhetoric, Levin accused Carlson of "leaking to and planting stories with his media pals," mockingly dubbed him "Chatsworth Qatarlson" on X, and said "a desperate man does desperate things." The feud escalated in November when Levin read private texts on air after Carlson invited him to debate at a Turning Point USA event; Levin used harsh epithets, and Carlson responded by calling Levin a "coward" unwilling to defend his positions face-to-face.
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Why It Mattered
Taken together, these disputes illustrate how social platforms in 2025 amplified political fractures, influenced public narratives and at times intersected with real-world consequences—from threatened federal contracts to demands for legal transparency. Whether theatrical or substantive, the year’s top feuds underscored social media’s evolving role as a tool for political combat and reputation warfare.
Image captions:
Screenshot via Truth Social @realDonaldTrump
Screenshot via X @elonmusk (circa July 17, 2025). The post has since been deleted.
