The post, which many had assumed to be just another Trumpian rant, rapidly took on a life of its own. Before long, it became the catalyst for one of the biggest Instagram follower losses in recent memory—second only to Swift’s first dramatic dip in numbers following her political endorsement of Kamala Harris. For fans, foes, and social media enthusiasts, the aftermath has been nothing short of surreal.

It all started innocuously enough, with Donald Trump taking to his relatively new social media platform, Truth Social, to once again air his grievances. Known for his bombastic and often contentious posts, this one was no different—except this time, he had his sights set on one of the biggest pop stars in the world.