Businessman Elon Musk announced this Saturday the founding of his own political movement, the America Party, amid a growing distancing from US President Donald Trump and the current Republican leadership, according to his own statements on the social network X.
Musk said, “Today the America Party is created to restore America to freedom,” after asking his followers if they supported the emergence of a new national political option. “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have one!” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO wrote.
Musk's distancing himself from Trump and the Republican Party has become apparent in recent weeks. According to his own posts, the rift deepened after Republican support for a legislative package that includes tax cuts and a $5 trillion increase in the national debt ceiling, which he calls"political suicide." Musk, who served as head of the Department of Government Efficiency during the Trump administration and was America PAC's top donor, with at least $250 million in the 2024 presidential campaign, stated in May that he would significantly reduce his political spending; however, his recent posts suggest he should reconsider this stance.
The public confrontation between Musk and Trump escalated in mid-June, following an exchange of insults.
Trump, in comments from the White House, hinted at the possibility of corporate retaliation against Musk and even considered deporting the South African-born entrepreneur. “Maybe we should ask DOGE to look into this. There’s a lot of money to be saved!” Trump said, referring to the cost-cutting state-owned company Musk ran during his administration. When asked if he was considering immigration enforcement against the tycoon, Trump replied, “We’ll have to look into it.”
Musk, for his part, called the spending and cuts package an “abomination” and urged people on social media to support Republican primary challengers who oppose the bill. He publicly expressed support for Representative Thomas Massie, who voted against the measure, and harshly criticized the Republican caucus, calling them “the Porky Pig party” for what he sees as a lack of fiscal responsibility.
The debate over the two-party system in the United States has been openly fueled by Musk, who recalled an unscientific poll on X and said, “Do we need a party in the US that actually represents the 80% center?” Musk had said that if the Republican-backed tax package were enacted, he would launch the America Party as an alternative to the “one party” and to “give the people a voice.”
The creation of major alternative parties to the Democrats and Republicans has had precedents in the country's electoral history, although they have rarely achieved national significance. However, Musk's financial potential could influence the political landscape, whether by backing individual candidates or through his own political action committee (PAC), as the America's Party project advances.
