Elon Musk launches new America Party – DW – 07/05/2025
Multibillionaire tech CEO Elon Musk says he has launched a new US political party called the America Party.
"When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," he posted on X, the social media platform he owns, on Saturday.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO floated the idea of forming a new political party after a public and bitter falling-out with President Donald Trump.
He revived the idea this week as US lawmakers approved Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill.
Musk was among the legislation's most vocal critics and has pledged to establish a new party to oppose Republicans who supported the bill.
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DW
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Donald Trump slams Elon Musk's 'America Party' plan – DW – 07/07/2025
The US president described the plan by Musk, who was until recently his adviser and most prominent financial backer, to create a new political party as "ridiculous." US President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted multibillionaire CEO Elon Musk's launch of a new US political party called the America Party. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, and until recently a close adviser to Trump, announced the the creation of the America Party in a series of posts late on Saturday. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," he posted on X, the social media platform he owns. On Sunday, Trump said it was "ridiculous" to start a third party. "The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system," Trump said, adding, "and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed, but three parties have never worked." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Musk first floated the idea of forming a new political party after a public and bitter falling-out with Trump. Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support Trump's re-election and led the so-called Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE in the Trump administration, which aimed to cut government spending, before their disagreements spilled into the open. He revived the idea of a new political party this week as US lawmakers approved Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. Musk was among the legislation's most vocal critics and has pledged to establish a new party to oppose Republicans who supported the bill. On Friday, he posted a poll asking whether users "want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system," drawing over 1.2 million responses, with more than 60% in favor of a new party. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A truly competitive third party could disrupt over a century of Democratic and Republican dominance at all levels of government. But Musk would not be the first person trying to establish a party to challenge their dominance. Former President Theodore Roosevelt came the closest in 1912, after splitting from the Republican party. He ran as Progressive Party candidate and won 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes. More recently, Ross Perot, another billionaire, won 19% of the popular vote but no electoral votes in the 1992 presidential campaign as an independent and later formed the Reform Party. Musk has already indicated that he is not aiming for an all-out win. Instead, his America Party would focus on flipping a couple of House and Senate seats by applying, "extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield." He believes that by targeting key races, the America Party could hold decisive votes on contentious legislation. A massive campaign war chest could give Musk an edge. Parties spend billions of dollars to get their candidates elected. According to donations watchdog OpenSecrets, nearly $16 billion (about €13.58 billion) was spent across the 2024 presidential and congressional races. Musk himself was the biggest donor in the 2023-24 election cycle. He gave more than $291 million to Republicans across all races. However, money is not the only factor that matters. In April, Musk has provided million-dollar checks to some voters in Wisconsin ahead of an election for the state's Supreme Court. Voters chose Democratic-backed Susan Crawford, who defeated conservative Brad Schimel for a State Supreme Court seat, despite $25 million in spending from Musk. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
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Trump Slams Former Ally Musk's Political Party As 'Ridiculous'
President Donald Trump on Sunday slammed former ally Elon Musk's launching of a new political party as "ridiculous," after the tech billionaire who once backed the Republican said he wanted to challenge the United States' "one-party system." "I think it's ridiculous to start a third party," Trump told reporters before he boarded Air Force One on his way back to Washington. "It's always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion." "Third parties have never worked. So he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous," he said. The world's richest person -- and Trump's biggest political donor in the 2024 election -- had a bitter falling out with the president after leading the Republican's effort to slash spending and cut federal jobs as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has clashed with Trump over the president's massive domestic spending plan, saying it would explode the US debt, and vowed to do everything in his power to defeat lawmakers who voted for it. On Saturday, he created the so-called "America Party," through which the Tesla, SpaceX and X owner will attempt to do that. In a later post on Truth Social, Trump said Musk had gone "off the rails" and had become "a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks." He said the creation of a third party would create "Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS." Trump repeated his earlier assertion that Musk, who owns electric vehicle company Tesla, had turned on him due to his spending bill cutting electric vehicle subsidies. Musk has argued his opposition is primarily due to the bill increasing the US fiscal deficit and sovereign debt. Earlier on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also threw shade at Musk's attempts to enter the political fray, telling him to stick to running his companies. When asked by CNN if Musk's plan bothered the Trump administration, Bessent offered thinly veiled criticism. "I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone," Bessent said. "So I imagine that those board of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities." Musk left DOGE in May to focus full-time on his corporate responsibilities, with Tesla's sales and image especially suffering from his brief venture into Trump's inner circle.
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
Elon Musk launches 'America Party' drawing rebuke from Trump – DW – 07/05/2025
The US president described the man who has until recently been his advisor and most prominent financial backer's new political party as "ridiculous." US President Donald Trump on Sunday blasted multibillionaire CEO Elon Musk's launch of a new US political party called the America Party. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, and until recently a close adviser to Trump, announced the the creation of the America Party in a series of posts late on Saturday. "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," he posted on X, the social media platform he owns. On Sunday, Trump said it was "ridiculous" to start a third party. "The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system," Trump said, adding, "and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed, but three parties have never worked." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Musk first floated the idea of forming a new political party after a public and bitter falling-out with Trump. Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support Trump's re-election and led the so-called Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE in the Trump administration, which aimed to cut government spending, before their disagreements spilled into the open. He revived the idea of a new political party this week as US lawmakers approved Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill. Musk was among the legislation's most vocal critics and has pledged to establish a new party to oppose Republicans who supported the bill. On Friday, he posted a poll asking whether users "want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system," drawing over 1.2 million responses, with more than 60% in favor of a new party. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A truly competitive third party could disrupt over a century of Democratic and Republican dominance at all levels of government. But Musk would not be the first person trying to establish a party to challenge their dominance. Former President Theodore Roosevelt came the closest in 1912, after splitting from the Republican party. He ran as Progressive Party candidate and won 27% of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes. More recently, Ross Perot, another billionaire, won 19% of the popular vote but no electoral votes in the 1992 presidential campaign as an independent and later formed the Reform Party. Musk has already indicated that he is not aiming for an all-out win. Instead, his America Party would focus on flipping a couple of House and Senate seats by applying, "extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield." He believes that by targeting key races, the America Party could hold decisive votes on contentious legislation. A massive campaign war chest could give Musk an edge. Parties spend billions of dollars to get their candidates elected. According to donations watchdog OpenSecrets, nearly $16 billion (about €13.58 billion) was spent across the 2024 presidential and congressional races. Musk himself was the biggest donor in the 2023-24 election cycle. He gave more than $291 million to Republicans across all races. However, money is not the only factor that matters. In April, Musk has provided million-dollar checks to some voters in Wisconsin ahead of an election for the state's Supreme Court. Voters chose Democratic-backed Susan Crawford, who defeated conservative Brad Schimel for a State Supreme Court seat, despite $25 million in spending from Musk. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
