Last week, the Internet witnessed the spectacular implosion of one of the most unconventional alliances in modern American politics. What had once been an uneasy partnership between the billionaire CEO of Tesla and X, Elon Musk, and U.S. President Donald Trump, blew into a full-blown public feud.

Mr. Musk accused the 78-year-old President of “total ingratitude”, posting on X: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election. Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51–49 in the Senate.”