Musk fired. Stewart replied with an invitation to his show. The clip has not stopped circulating since.

It started when Stewart, on The Daily Show, delivered a 14-minute monologue questioning the administration's rationale for the Iran war. "Three weeks in and nobody can tell you what winning looks like," Stewart said. "That's not a plan. That's a prayer."

Musk responded on X: "Jon Stewart is an extremely skilled propagandist disguised as a truth-teller."

1.5 million views within hours.

Stewart's reply? "Come on the show!! We'll talk about how self deprecating we both are!!" Musk replied: "Not as good as you! Stop being so humble."

But the substance underneath the banter went unaddressed. "Calling someone a propagandist without addressing a single point they made is the definition of ad hominem," wrote media critic Jay Rosen on X. Stewart's segment referenced Joe Kent's resignation, the F-35 struck over Iran, and oil prices. He didn't mention Musk by name.

Musk's companies have skin in the game. SpaceX holds defense contracts with the US military and has provided Starlink to Israel since 2023. He hasn't disclosed whether his companies benefit from the war's continuation.

Stewart's most-shared clip: reading aloud from three different Pentagon statements giving contradictory descriptions of the war's objectives.

The discourse war continues. Musk hasn't accepted the invitation.

— LUCIA VEGA, São Paulo

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