The ongoing public feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk appears to be benefiting both men's social media platforms—X and Truth Social—with each seeing a sharp spike in engagement this week.

According to data from Sensor Tower, reported by TechCrunch and reviewed by Al Arabiya Business, Musk’s X app jumped to 23rd place in the U.S. App Store rankings for iPhones on June 5, a significant rise from its average position of 68th over the previous 30 days.

On the Google Play Store, the X app also climbed roughly 20 spots above its average 7-day ranking, and 16 spots above its 30-day average, reflecting a noticeable surge in interest.

Engagement Spikes as Feud Goes Viral

Sensor Tower noted that active users on the X app increased by 6% nationwide on June 5. The most dramatic surge occurred between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET, when active users jumped 54% compared to the same time window over the previous week—directly coinciding with the public exchange between Musk and Trump.

Truth Social Sees Explosive Growth

President Trump’s own platform, Truth Social, also saw record activity. Sensor Tower reported a 400% increase in the number of active mobile users on Truth Social in the U.S. on June 5, compared to the previous seven-day average. This spike came after Trump shared posts criticizing Musk, calling him "ungrateful" and suggesting that he “went crazy” after losing political influence.

Despite this growth, Sensor Tower confirmed that X remains significantly larger, with an estimated 100 times more active mobile users in the U.S. compared to Truth Social.

Both platforms reportedly hit 90-day engagement highs between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET on June 5.

Background: Dragon Threat and Public Clashes

The latest spike in user activity follows Elon Musk’s recent walk-back of a threat to suspend SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft program over disagreements with the Trump administration's aerospace policies. The dispute spilled onto both platforms, drawing massive public attention and driving user interaction.

The exchange highlights the growing role of personal rivalries in shaping digital media traffic and user behavior—especially as both Trump and Musk maintain large, loyal followings and command influence over U.S. tech and political discourse.