Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) on Monday appeared to strike a nerve with the Trump White House over his criticism of newly-titled “special government employee” Elon Musk, aka the richest man in the world.

Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the social media platform’s billionaire owner “is a terrible president.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung fired back, “Tim Walz is a cuck.”

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term “cuck” as “a man whose wife is unfaithful” or a “weak or submissive man.”

The word is “often used as an insulting and contemptuous term for a man who has politically progressive or moderate views,” it adds.

Musk pumped more than $290 million into backing now-President Donald Trump and Republicans in the 2024 elections. The tech mogul has been by Trump’s side since the latter’s victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

Trump has tasked Musk with running the non-official Department of Government Efficient in a bid to slash red tape and reduce public spending.

But Musk’s apparent influence on Trump has led the term “President Elon” to frequently trend on social media, to the reported frustration of the actual POTUS.