By BRENDAN RASCIUS

Centre Daily Times

STATE COLLEGE (TNS) — The overwhelming majority of Republicans stand behind President Donald Trump over Elon Musk, according to new polling, which comes as the public feud between the two billionaires erupted into an allout brawl.

In the latest YouGov poll, 71% of Republicans said that, if they had to choose, they would side more with Trump. Meanwhile, a vanishingly small share, 6%, said they’d back Musk, and 12% said they would back neither.

By comparison, most Democrats and independents — 80% and 59%, respectively — said they wouldn’t side with either of the men.

The poll — which sampled 3,812 U.S. adults on June 5 — was conducted on the same day the rift between Trump and Musk widened into a chasm, with the pair exchanging numerous biting remarks.

It began when Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting that he had become “very disappointed with Elon.” He cited Musk’s public opposition to the GOP-backed spending bill, which the SpaceX CEO had labeled “a disgusting abomination” that would balloon the deficit.

Musk — who formally exited the administration as the head of DOGE on May 30 — may be suffering “TDS” (Trump Derangement Syndrome), Trump suggested. He also insinuated that he would have won the battleground state of Pennsylvania without Musk, who poured hundreds of millions into Trump’s 2024 campaign.

From there, the two men began duking it out online, each posting feverishly on their own social media platform.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,” Musk wrote on X. “Such ingratitude.”

Minutes later, Musk attacked Trump even further, this time seeming to accuse him of sexual misconduct.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @real-DonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” he wrote. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!”

He also reposted a message that called for Trump to be impeached, simply captioning it “Yes.”

Writing on Truth Social, Trump shot back that Musk had gone “CRAZY.” He then threatened to “terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”

A plurality of Americans, 41%, would indeed support removing Musk’s federal contracts and subsidies, while 21% said they would oppose this and 38% weren’t sure, according to the poll.

A few hours later, the president appeared unfazed by the public falling out, writing, “I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago.”

By the morning of June 6, Trump had signaled he was moving on, telling CNN, “I’m not even thinking about Elon. He’s got a problem. The poor guy’s got a problem.”

As to whether or not the duo can patch up their relationship — which paired the world’s wealthiest man with the world’s most powerful man — Americans are not sure.

A plurality of poll respondents, 41%, said they don’t know if the men will work together again in the future. Thirty-one percent said they would not, and 28% said they will.

Americans were also divided over what their separation means for the country, according to the survey, which has a margin of error of 2.1 percentage points.

Thirty-five percent said the U.S. would be better off with Trump and Musk working together, while 31% said it would be better with them in conflict. Thirty-five percent said they weren’t sure.

Republicans favor burying the hatchet, with 72% saying the country would be better off with the men working in tandem. Meanwhile, most Democrats, 52%, said the U.S. would be better served by having them at odds.