Disrupting the two-party system: Can Elon Musk spark a US political reboot like Imran Khan did in Pakistan?

Business Recorder

9 hours ago

The dispute between Republican President Donald Trump and his main campaign financier Elon Musk took a fractious turn this weekend with the announcement of the 'America Party' - looking to upend the long-reigning two-party system in the United States, not quite unlike what Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did in 2018.
The announcement is already stirring anxieties within America's entrenched political class, where Musk, with his growing influence and vast capital could upset the Republican-Democrat duopoly, which has reigned for 160 years.
What Musk is proposing isn't entirely new. Third-party bids in the US have historically fizzled due to structural constraints like ballot access, the Electoral College, and winner-take-all voting. But what's different now is the context: rising polarization, a generation of disillusioned voters and a growing appetite for disruption.
Trump's approval ratings in polls in his second term have generally held firm above 40%, despite often divisive policies, the US dollar dropped to its lowest valuation in a decade and the fiscal deficit is set to climb to $2.5 trillion.
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To understand the potential of such a political moment, analysts are increasingly looking abroad – to Pakistan, where a two-party order collapsed in 2018 under the weight of youth frustration and populist momentum.
PTI's disruption and the youth vote
For decades, Pakistan's politics revolved around two dominant forces: the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
This duopoly, characterized by dynastic leadership and rotating tenures in power, left many voters - particularly the young and those in urban city centres - disillusioned.
Enter Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by former cricket captain Imran Khan.
Founded in 1996, the party remained on the fringes for over a decade before gaining traction through a combination of populist messaging, anti-corruption rhetoric and savvy digital campaigning.
By the 2018 general elections, the landscape had changed. Pakistan's youth, which makes up over 64% of the population, played a decisive role.
According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, 45% of voters aged 18–35 participated, with PTI capturing a dominant share of that demographic –particularly in urban centres like Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and Peshawar.
'PTI's message resonated with young voters who were tired of family politics and business-as-usual governance,' said analyst Ayesha Siddiqua. 'It was a party that spoke their language - literally and digitally.'
PTI's campaign leaned heavily on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, broadcasting rallies live and bypassing traditional media gatekeepers.
A parallel movement in the US
Back in the US, the political landscape appears similarly fatigued. Gallup polling in 2025 shows that over 42% of Americans now identify as independents, while just 27% identify as Democrats and 26% as Republicans.
Among voters under 35, support for a third-party or independent alternative is rising sharply.
It's in this environment that figures like Elon Musk, Bernie Sanders, and Zohran Mamdani are gaining attention - albeit from vastly different parts of the ideological spectrum.
While Sanders, a democratic socialist, has mounted two powerful challenges to the Democratic establishment, his influence has reshaped the party's internal debates.
Mamdani, the progressive New York lawmaker recently nominated as the Democratic candidate for mayor, represents a growing class of insurgent politicians willing to openly criticize party orthodoxy.
'People are increasingly rejecting the binary,' Mamdani said during his nomination speech earlier this year. 'They want a politics that reflects reality - not party lines.'
Observers note that while Sanders and Mamdani are working within the Democratic Party, their popularity reveals how far removed the establishment has become from younger, more diverse, and more economically anxious voters.
In contrast, Elon Musk's ambitions remain ambiguous. He has previously endorsed both Republican and Democratic candidates, often on contradictory grounds. But his ability to command attention, resources, and followers - he has over 180 million followers on X - gives him a unique base of political leverage.
A global shift?
From Pakistan to the U.S., from France's Emmanuel Macron to Italy's Five Star Movement, the last decade has shown that political duopolies are not as unshakable as they once seemed.
Youth-driven movements - often organized online and outside traditional party structures - have reshaped political possibilities across the globe.
But the obstacles in the U.S. remain formidable. Third-party candidates face significant ballot restrictions in key states. The Electoral College system inherently favours the two main parties. And media coverage often dismisses outsiders as spoilers.
Still, Musk's timing may be strategic. The 2024 and 2028 US elections exposed deep voter dissatisfaction with both major parties, and rising digital activism has created new tools for political organization - much like PTI's use of WhatsApp groups and YouTube in the 2018 election.
While such efforts have historically fizzled, the mood is different now. A generation disillusioned with establishment politics, a fractured media ecosystem, and growing polarization have opened up new space for outsiders.