A compelling clash but these titans will emerge weaker

Rumours of a global shortage of popcorn are obviously exaggerated, but watching the most spectacular public bust-up since Megxit has certainly been entertaining (so far).

- SEAN O'GRADY

Aside from the endless supply of broken crockery for the media – including Musk’s very own X channel – there will actually be some real-world consequences for this very traumatic experience for both men.

It’s not clear who will be the winner. Perhaps in the end there won’t be one, and the pair, locked in a storm of mutual destruction, will be the first to disprove Henry Kissinger’s famous dictum about Iran-Iraq: “It’s a pity they can’t both lose.”

It wasn’t inevitable, by the way, that the Elon Musk and Donald Trump “bromance” would end this way. It was more 50/50. Elon did, after all, say that he loved Donald “as much as any straight man can love another man”.

The richest person on the planet had money and influence that could be used to get elected – $300m, Musk says, plus the passive acquiescence of X, in promoting helpful conspiracy theories and Maga propaganda. Trump, as his recent threats prove, could help Musk’s businesses to thrive – satellites, electric cars, and Musk’s sworn (if bonkers) mission to “occupy Mars”.

It wasn’t a marriage made in heaven (more Mar-a-Lago) but they did share, if not platonic love, at least a deep hatred for the “woke mind virus”. So the partnership could have worked.

Except, as the consensus suggests the egos were too big. The sheer speed of the collapse has exceeded all expectations, and they’re probably not done. What may we expect?