Elon Musk says he has created a new political party for the US
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.
Now he has created the so-called America Party, on the back of a social media poll on the website he owns, through which to try and achieve that.
'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' the Space X and Tesla boss posted on X, the social media platform that he owns.
'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.'
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
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.
https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
July 5, 2025
Musk cited a poll — uploaded on Friday, US Independence Day — in which he asked whether respondents 'want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system' that has dominated US politics for some two centuries.
The yes-or-no survey earned more than 1.2 million responses.
'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' he posted on Saturday.
Musk also shared a meme depicting a two-headed snake and the caption 'End the Uniparty.'
- 'Laser-focus' on vulnerable lawmakers -
Advertisement
It is not clear how much impact the new party would have on the 2026 mid-term elections, or on the presidential vote two years after that.
The Trump-Musk feud reignited in dramatic fashion late last month as Trump pushed Republicans in Congress to ram through his massive domestic agenda in the form of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Musk expressed fierce opposition to the legislation, and ruthlessly attacked its Republican backers for supporting 'debt slavery.'
He vowed to launch a new political party to challenge lawmakers who campaigned on reduced federal spending only to vote for the bill, which experts say will pile an extra $3.4 trillion over a decade onto the US deficit.
'They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,' Musk said earlier this week.
After Musk heavily criticized the flagship spending bill — which eventually passed Congress and was signed into law — Trump threatened to deport the tech tycoon and strip federal funds from his businesses.
'We'll have to take a look,' the president told reporters when asked if he would consider deporting Musk, who was born in South Africa and has held US citizenship since 2002.
On Friday after posting the poll, Musk laid out a possible political battle plan to pick off vulnerable House and Senate seats and become 'the deciding vote' on key legislation.
'One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,' Musk posted on X.
All 435 US House seats are up for grabs every two years, while about one third of the Senate's 100 members, who serve six-year terms, are elected every two years.
Some observers were quick to point out how third-party campaigns have historically split the vote — as businessman Ross Perot's independent presidential run in 1992 did when it helped doom George H.W. Bush's re-election bid resulting in Democrat Bill Clinton's victory.
'You are pulling a Ross Perot, and I don't like it,' one X user wrote to Musk.
With reporting by
© AFP 2023
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Trump calls Elon Musk a 'train wreck' and his new political party 'ridiculous'
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump yesterday slammed former ally Elon Musk's launching of a new political party as 'ridiculous,' deepening the Republican's feud with the man who was once his biggest backer. Trump also branded the SpaceX and Tesla tycoon a 'TRAIN WRECK' who had gone 'off the rails' after Musk said he wanted to challenge the current US political system. The world's richest man was once almost inseparable from Trump as he headed the cost-cutting 'Department of Government Efficiency'. After a volcanic fall out over the president's 'big beautiful' tax and spending mega-bill, Musk launched a series of attacks on Trump via his social media platform X – with Trump countering the attacks on his own social media platform, Truth Social. '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 from his New Jersey golf club. '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. South African-born Musk announced on Saturday that he would create the so-called 'America Party' to challenge what he called the United States' 'one-party system.' Musk says the president's massive domestic spending plan would explode the US debt, and has vowed to do everything in his power to defeat lawmakers who voted for it. The former DOGE boss, who led a huge drive to slash federal spending and cut jobs, equated Trump's Republicans with rival Democrats when it came to domestic spending. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk posted on X. Musk gave few details of his plan and it was not clear whether he had registered the party with US electoral authorities, but it could cause Republicans headaches in the 2026 midterm elections – and beyond. 'TRAIN WRECK' In a sign of how sensitive the issue could be for Trump, he took to Truth Social while still on Air Force One to double down on his assault on Musk. Advertisement 'I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,' Trump posted. 'The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats.' In a lengthy diatribe, Trump repeated his earlier assertion that Musk's ownership of electric vehicle company Tesla had made him turn on the president due to the spending bill cutting subsidies for such automobiles. Musk has insisted that his opposition is primarily due to the bill increasing the US fiscal deficit and sovereign debt. Earlier yesterday, 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.' Departing DOGE adviser Elon Musk in the Oval Office of The White House on 30 May. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo 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. Trump gave him a grand send-off in the Oval Office, during a bizarre ceremony during which Musk appeared with a black eye and received a golden key to the White House from the president. But just days later the two were exchanging bitter insults on social media after Musk criticised Trump's flagship spending bill. Trump would not comment yesterday when asked if he would be asking Musk to return the golden key.
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump seeks to pressure trading partners to make deals before tariffs deadline
The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the US to start sending letters warning countries that higher tariffs could begin on August 1. That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers and America's trading partners, and questions remain about which countries will be notified, whether anything will change in the days ahead and whether President Donald Trump will once more delay imposing the rates. Mr Trump and his top trade advisers say he could extend the time for deal-making but they insist the administration is applying maximum pressure on other nations. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS's Face The Nation on Sunday that Mr Trump would decide when it was time to give up on negotiations. I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly 'The United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything,' Mr Hassett said. 'There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, so maybe things will push back past the deadline or maybe they won't. In the end the president is going to make that judgment.' Stephen Miran, the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, likewise said countries negotiating in good faith and making concessions could 'sort of, get the date rolled'. The steeper tariffs that Mr Trump announced on April 2 threatened to overhaul the global economy and lead to broader trade wars. A week later, after the financial markets had panicked, his administration suspended for 90 days most of the higher taxes on imports just as they were to take effect. The negotiating window until July 9 has led to announced deals only with the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Mr Trump imposed elevated tariff rates on dozens of nations that run meaningful trade surpluses with the US, and a 10% baseline tax on imports from all countries in response to what he called an economic emergency. There are separate 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium and a 25% tariff on vehicles. Since April, few foreign governments have set new trade terms with Washington as the Republican president demanded. Mr Trump told reporters on Friday that his administration might be sending out letters as early as Saturday to countries spelling out their tariff rates if they did not reach a deal, but that the US would not start collecting those taxes until August 1. On Sunday, he said he would send out letters starting Monday — 'could be 12, could be 15' — to foreign governments reflecting planned tariffs for each. 'We've made deals also,' Mr Trump told reporters before heading back to the White House from his home in New Jersey. 'So we'll get to have a combination of letters, and some deals have been made.' He and his advisers have declined to say which countries would receive the letters. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent rejected the idea that August 1 was a new deadline and declined to say what might happen on Wednesday. 'We'll see,' Mr Bessent said on CNN's State Of The Union. 'I'm not going to give away the playbook.' He said the US was 'close to several deals' and predicted several big announcements over the next few days. He gave no details. 'I think we're going to see a lot of deals very quickly,' Mr Bessent said.
The Journal
6 hours ago
- The Journal
Trump to host Netanyahu at White House as Gaza ceasefire talks begin in Doha
ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today amid indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas aimed at brokering a ceasefire in Gaza. The talks, which began in Doha on Sunday evening, are also seeking to reach an agreement on the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Speaking on Sunday, Trump said there was a 'good chance' of reaching an agreement. 'We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out,' he told journalists. Netanyahu, speaking before boarding his flight to Washington on Sunday, said his meeting with Trump could 'definitely help advance this' deal. He said he had dispatched the team to Doha with 'clear instructions' to reach an agreement 'under the conditions that we have agreed to.' He previously said Hamas's response to a draft US-backed ceasefire proposal, conveyed through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, contained 'unacceptable' demands. 'Important mission' Two Palestinian sources close to the discussions told AFP the proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel. However, they said, the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel's withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system. Advertisement Israeli army vehicles moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Netanyahu has an 'important mission' in Washington, 'advancing a deal to bring all our hostages home,' said Israeli President Isaac Herzog after meeting him Sunday. Trump is not scheduled to meet the Israeli premier until 6.30pm (11.30pm Irish time), the White House said, without the usual presence of journalists. Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Since Hamas's October 2023 attack sparked the current Israeli offensive in Gaza, mediators have brokered two temporary halts in the fighting. They have seen hostages freed in exchange for some of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. Israel broke the last ceasefire agreement and resumed its offensive on 18 March. Recent efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel's rejection of Hamas's demand for a lasting ceasefire. 'Enough blood' In Gaza, the territory's civil defense agency reported 26 people killed by Israeli forces on Sunday, 10 of them in a strike in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood. 'We are losing young people, families and children every day, and this must stop now,' Sheikh Radwan resident Osama al-Hanawi told AFP. 'Enough blood has been shed.' Palestinians crowd to receive a hot meal at a food distribution point in Khan Younis. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific strikes without precise coordinates. Hundreds killed seeking aid The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. Related Reads Israeli air strikes kill 38 Palestinians in Gaza as Netanyahu prepares to fly to Washington Hamas ready to start Gaza ceasefire talks 'immediately' as Israel continues strikes on Gaza A US and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), took the lead in food distribution in the territory in late May, when Israel partially lifted a more than two-month blockade on aid deliveries. But its operations have had a chaotic rollout, with Palestinians seeking aid being killed near its facilities while awaiting rations on a near daily basis. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The UN human rights office said last week that more than 500 people have been killed waiting to access food from GHF distribution points. The Gaza health ministry on Sunday placed that toll even higher, at 751 killed. Hamas's October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 57,418 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable. With reporting from © AFP 2025 Need more information on what is happening in Israel and Gaza? Check out our new FactCheck Knowledge Bank for essential reads and guides to navigating the news online. Visit Knowledge Bank Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
