Musk forms new political party after split with Trump over president's signature tax cuts law
Musk, once a ever-present ally to Donald Trump as he headed up the slashing agency known as the Department of Government Efficiency, broke with the Republican president over his signature legislation, which was signed into law Friday.
As the bill made its way through Congress, Musk threatened to form the 'America Party' if 'this insane spending bill passes.'
'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk said Saturday on X, the social media company he owns. 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.'
The formation of new political parties is not uncommon, but they typically struggle to pull any significant support away from the Republican and Democratic parties. But Musk, the world's richest man who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election, could impact the 2026 elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of Monday.
His reignited feud with the president could also be costly for Musk, whose businesses rely on billions of dollars in government contracts and publicly traded company Tesla has taken a hit in the market.
It wasn't clear whether Musk had taken steps to formally create the new political party. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn't immediately comment Sunday.
As of Sunday morning, there were multiple political parties listed in the Federal Election Commission database that had been formed in the the hours since Musk's Saturday X post with versions of 'America Party' of 'DOGE' or 'X' in the name, or Musk listed among people affiliated with the entity.
But none appeared to be authentic, listing contacts for the organization as email addresses such as ' wentsnowboarding@yahoo.com ″ or untraceable Protonmail addresses.
Musk on Sunday spent the morning on X taking feedback from users about the party and indicated he'd use the party to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections.
Last month, he threatened to try to oust every member of Congress that voted for Trump's bill. Musk had called the tax breaks and spending cuts package a 'disgusting abomination," warning it would increase the federal deficit, among other critiques.
'The Republican Party has a clean sweep of the executive, legislative and judicial branches and STILL had the nerve to massively increase the size of government, expanding the national debt by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS,' Musk said Sunday on X.
His critiques of the bill and move to form a political party mark a reversal from May, when his time in the White House was winding down and the head of rocket company SpaceX and electric vehicle maker Tesla said he would spend 'a lot less' on politics in the future.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who clashed with Musk while he ran DOGE, said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that DOGE's 'principles' were popular but 'if you look at the polling, Elon was not.'
'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,' he said.
___
Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Chapin, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
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And I saw military tanks. It was the Customs and Border Patrol, and it might have been military on the periphery." Bass said the scene resembled a military intervention, calling it "another example of the administration ratcheting up chaos by deploying what looked like a military operation in an American city." She described the deployment as "outrageous and un-American," particularly pointing to the presence of "federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on," the "seizure" of California's National Guard, and "U.S. Marines who are trained to kill foreign soldiers overseas" being "deployed in our American city." "There is no plan other than fear, chaos, and politics," she said, calling the incident part of a broader pattern of intimidation: "Home Depot one day, a car wash the next, armed vehicles and what looked like mounted military units in a park the next day." Bass emphasized that there was no threat at the park — only children attending summer camp. "What happened to the criminals, the drug dealers, the violent individuals?" she asked. "Who were in the park today were children. It was their summer day camp. Those kids now have no activities. They were ushered inside so that they didn't get exposed to the troops that were walking in formation across their playground area." She recounted speaking with an eight-year-old boy who, without being told what was happening, expressed fear of ICE. "Did this eight-year-old tell me that he was afraid of ICE taking his parents, and he didn't think it was good to take people away? So understand that that eight-year-old knows enough of what's going on that he's already traumatized in anticipation." "What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation," Bass said. "Spending many years traveling into conflict areas — you know, it's the way a city looks before a coup." Calling it a "military assault on our city," she accused Customs and Border Protection of "randomly driving through the streets, snatching people," often without identification. "There were no protests. There was no disorder that required that," Bass said. "I just think it's important that we continue to tell the truth to the American people." Marqueece Harris-Dawson, President of the Los Angeles City Council, criticized the federal operation, saying, "This morning looked like a staging for a TikTok video. And what we say to Border Patrol is: if you want to film in L.A., you should apply for a film permit like everybody else — and stop trying to scare the bejesus out of everybody who lives in this great city." Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez condemned the federal operation at MacArthur Park as "the latest escalation in the Trump administration's depraved campaign against our city." She described how "the National Guard descended onto MacArthur Park, bringing troops, military weapons and equipment, and armored vehicles to a community park, a community hub, a place where families gather." Hernandez emphasized that the operation took place "while summer camp was in session," forcing "young children... to be ushered into the lower part of one of our buildings" amid "terror taking place in our community." She called MacArthur Park "the Ellis Island of the West Coast," saying it was "chosen as this administration's latest target precisely because of who lives there and what it represents: resilience, diversity, and the American dream." Hernandez warned, "When we invade and surveil our own neighborhoods, when we scapegoat and demonize immigrants, when we disregard due process, we are no longer living under the rule of democracy. We are living under occupation and authoritarianism." Hernandez criticized the federal tactics: "Sending United States soldiers to intimidate children at camp and seeing others at the bus stop is not making anyone safer. Raiding Home Depots is not stopping crime. Tearing families away from children is not upholding family values." She called the cruelty "the point," and vowed that Los Angeles "will continue to resist... demand the immediate withdrawal of federal troops and ICE in our city." She issued a warning beyond Los Angeles: "We are the canary in the coal mine. What you see happening in MacArthur Park is coming to you. A $140 billion new budget for ICE — what do you think that's going to do? That's going to transport what's happening here in our neighborhoods to your front doorstep." She concluded with a call to action saying, "Please support Los Angeles, please support California, but also we need to work together to make sure that authoritarianism doesn't take over our country." During outreach at MacArthur Park, federal agents pointed guns at the team and shouted profanities, forcing them to leave, Maria Soria of the Saint John's Community Health Street Medicine team said. "They pointed a gun at us. They surrounded our van... I thought they were going to actually target us." She added that the situation has made it unsafe to provide medical care to the homeless and immigrant communities. More than 2,300 Angelenos have been "disappeared and uprooted from their homes and communities" since the federal government began its operation nearly a month ago, according to Jeanette Zani Patton, director of policy and advocacy at True LA. The other side According to Fox News, the CBP official Bass spoke with on the phone was Chief Gregory Bovino of the agency's El Centro Sector. Bovino told Fox News, "I don't work for Karen Bass. Better get used to us now, cause this is going to be normal very soon. We will go anywhere, anytime we want in Los Angeles." What we don't know At this time, there was no official explanation as to why such a large presence was deployed if no arrests were made. Federal authorities have not released further details on the nature or scope of the operation. Why you should care The operation brought heavily armed federal agents into a public park with no prior public notice — and ended with no reported enforcement. It drew attention not only because of its scale, but because of where it happened: a dense, residential area with families and children present. The mayor's immediate response raised questions about communication between local and federal agencies, and what protocols are followed in situations like this. It also underscored the scrutiny that large-scale federal operations now face when carried out in public spaces. Big picture view Federal officials have not clarified the purpose or outcome of the MacArthur Park operation. Without arrests, the reasoning behind the show of force remains unclear. The incident has led city leaders and residents to question how immigration enforcement is conducted in Los Angeles, what oversight is in place, and whether community safety protocols are being followed. As federal activity continues in urban areas, moments like this are drawing increased attention — and calls for transparency. Mayor Bass's rapid response underscored the growing tensions between federal immigration authorities and city leaders who have pushed for transparency and community safety over displays of force. What's next FOX 11 is continuing to seek clarity from federal officials on the nature of the operation and whether similar deployments are planned. Mayor Bass has called for further review of the event and its impact on the surrounding community. The Source Information for this story was gathered through direct observation by SkyFOX and includes on-the-record statements from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as well as an unnamed senior DHS official.
