In the age of fast social media, where a single interaction can change the reach of a message, a post by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk became a global hit. The post on the platform X (formerly Twitter), published on 6 December 2025, reached more than 36 million users. This was all thanks to a playful reply from Elon Musk, billionaire and owner of X, who not only quoted Tusk but also added his own comment, sparking a heated discussion. But what is this really about? Let us look more closely at the context, which concerns transatlantic relations, criticism of the European Union and the new foreign policy of the USA under Donald Trump.
The content of Tusk’s post and Musk’s response
Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland, directed his message straight to „American friends”. In the post he wrote:
„Dear American friends, Europe is your closest ally, not a problem. And we have common enemies. At least that has been the case for the last 80 years. We must stick to that, it is the only sensible strategy for our common security. Unless something has changed.”
The post quickly gained popularity, but the real boom came after the intervention of Elon Musk.
Musk, quoting Tusk, added a playful comment:
„If you combine Donald Trump and Elon Musk, you get… 😂”.
This is a reference to the similarity of the surnames – Donald Tusk sounds like a combination of Trump and Musk. The billionaire then clarified his position:
„I love Europe, but not the bureaucratic monster that the EU is.”
This exchange drew the attention of millions, making Tusk’s post one of the most viewed of that period. According to data from the X platform, the Prime Minister’s post garnered 36.6 million views, and the discussion under it attracted thousands of comments, including from politicians, analysts and ordinary users.
Context: the new US security strategy and criticism of Europe
The matter that Tusk and Musk were discussing has a deeper geopolitical background. Tusk’s post appeared in response to the new National Security Strategy of the United States, announced under the administration of Donald Trump. This document sharply criticises Europe for insufficient defence spending within NATO and calls for „strategic stability” with Russia – which for many European leaders sounds like a potential weakening of the transatlantic alliance. Trump, who returned to the White House after the 2024 elections, has repeatedly announced that the USA will no longer „subsidise” Europe’s security, threatening customs tariffs on EU goods and a review of commitments within NATO.
Tusk, as Prime Minister of Poland – a country strongly dependent on its alliance with the USA and NATO – calls for unity. Poland, located on Europe’s eastern flank, sees Russia as a direct threat, especially in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. His words „unless something has changed” may be a subtle allusion to changes in Washington’s policy, where Trump and his circle, including Musk, promote a more isolationist stance towards Europe.
Musk, for his part, a close associate of Trump (he was, among other roles, head of the Department of Government Efficiency in Trump’s administration), often criticises the European Union for excessive bureaucracy and regulation. His comment came at a hot moment: just the day before, the EU fined the X platform 120 million euros for breaching transparency rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA). The penalty concerned, among other things, problems with the account verification system (blue checkmarks) and advertising reporting. Musk reacted sharply, calling for „the abolition of the EU and the restoration of sovereignty to individual countries so that governments can better represent their citizens”. This is not the first time the billionaire has attacked Brussels – he previously accused the European Commission of attempting censorship on X, claiming that the EU offered him a „secret deal” for quiet content moderation in exchange for avoiding penalties.
The wider impact of the debate
This exchange on X not only increased the reach of Tusk’s post but also fuelled debate about the future of US-EU relations. On one hand, supporters of Trump and Musk see the EU as an „open prison” full of bureaucracy that suppresses freedom of speech and innovation. On the other, European leaders such as Tusk and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski (who advised Musk to „fly to Mars, because there is no censorship of Nazi saluting there”) defend European integration as a guarantee of security and stability.
The discussion highlights growing transatlantic tensions. Trump is announcing tariffs on EU products, which could hit economies of countries such as Poland, Germany or France. At the same time, Musk, as an influential figure in the US administration, is strengthening an anti-EU narrative, which may affect trade and security policy. For Poland, which is one of the largest beneficiaries of EU funds and of the NATO alliance, this matter is a warning signal – there is a need to strengthen dialogue with Washington to avoid isolation.
In summary, Tusk’s post has become a symbol of the defence of the European-American alliance in the face of changes in the USA. Thanks to Musk it reached millions, but the discussion reveals deeper fault lines: between the vision of a united Europe and criticism of bureaucracy, between NATO solidarity and isolationism. Has something changed in transatlantic relations? Time will tell, but the debate on X is already shaping public opinion.
