He might be the richest man in the world, but Elon Musk being worth $243 billion (at current count) clearly won't buy him any street credit. From his appearances at a recent Donald Trump Republican rally being branded as 'cringe' to viral images mocking him on the beach, the Tesla CEO remains one of the most divisive figures around.
Musk has been in the spotlight more than ever since he bought Twitter in 2022 and quickly rebranded it as X. It's here where he regularly posts about daily life and politics, making his feelings clear on all sorts of issues.
With this heightened media presence, fans and critics alike are watching Musk's every move.
Elon Musk became his own trending sensation when an image of him jumping at Trump's October 5 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, went viral.
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He was quite literally jumping for Trump, and while it gave us plenty of hours of fun with Photoshop, some think they've figured out why he's acting like that.
Before you ask, no, it's not because he's trying to perform Chappell Roan's "Hot To Go!"
After Musk performed another jumping post at a rally, X user (RIP Twitter) @mignonmemes claimed he's jumping because he's trying to spell the letter 'X'. The OP wrote: "I just figured out why he's always doing this f**kass jump. He's trying to make an "X" because he thinks it's his f**king brand or whatever. Pathetic f**king moron."
There could be some method behind the madness, with others quickly latching onto the idea.
Someone else said: "If that's actually the case then it's just 10 times more cringe now."
Another added: "Junji Ito short story where Musk becomes so obsessed with the letter X, he starts twisting his body to become an X himself."
Most were intrigued but said it can't be the real reason, with someone suggesting that if he wanted to make an X, he could just do it with his arms instead of leaping into the air. Whatever he's doing, it's working because you're all talking about him.
As Election Day looms on November 5, Musk is continuing his Trump campaign and has even been offering a cool $1 million a day for voters.
Forget going viral for silly jumps because the Justice Department has reportedly written to Musk and warned him to stop amidst claims it's 'illegal' voter coercion. We don't imagine he'll be jumping for joy if that case goes any further.
Still, it seems jumping around the stage for Donald Trump has become Musk's own version of the Griddy.
When you've got the eyes of billions on your and you know you're going to papped, you might as well try and get your brand out there. Then again, Musk might just be practising his jumping jacks.