Donald Trump yet again dismisses Elon Musk's ‘America Party', says, ‘it will help us'
'I think it will help us. It will probably help,' Trump said on July 7 when asked about Musk's formation of the 'America Party,' a political movement Musk says will challenge both Republicans and Democrats.
'Third parties have always been good for me. I don't know about Republicans, but for me,' added Trump.
Speaking to reporters on July 7, Trump took direct aim at Musk's announcement, dismissing the concept outright.
'I think it's ridiculous to start a third party. We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it's always been a two-party system,' Trump said. 'Starting a third party just adds to confusion.'
He added, 'It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous.'
Later, Trump amplified his criticism on his Truth Social platform, writing that Musk had gone 'completely off the rails.'
'I'm saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails', essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,' Trump posted, while again defending the two-party system as the only viable political structure in the US.
Musk, who owns the social media platform X, fired back with a mocking response to Trump's Truth Social comments: 'What's Truth Social?"
Musk unveiled his 'America Party' on July 5, citing fierce opposition to Trump's $5 trillion tax and spending bill, which includes a major debt ceiling hike and rollbacks of climate-related incentives.
'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' Musk wrote on X.
He added: 'Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.'
Although still unofficial, Musk indicated that the new party would focus on unseating GOP lawmakers who voted for Trump's sweeping fiscal package. A poll posted by Musk on July 4 showed 65% of more than 1.2 million respondents supporting the creation of a third party.
'By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!' Musk wrote.
Trump suggested that Musk's motivation may stem from specific provisions in the spending bill.
'He's probably upset because the Bill eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time,' Trump said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
China's Shanghai Composite index rise 0.48%
Asian stocks ended Thursday's session mostly higher, unfazed by U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff salvos. After threatening tariffs on copper and pharma, Trump upped the stakes in his global trade war with a fresh round of tariffs on imports from eight nations. He imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports over Jair Bolsonaro's prosecution, prompting sharp retaliation from President Lula. Gold edged higher on a softer dollar and lower bond yields while oil prices were little changed in Asian trade on signs of rising U.S. stockpiles and concerns about global economic outlook. China's Shanghai Composite index rose 0.48 percent to 3,509.68 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index climbed 0.57 percent to 24,028.37 as investors looked through the latest tariff headlines. EV and real estate stocks rallied after Beijing pledged policy support for job stability.
NDTV
29 minutes ago
- NDTV
How Trump Administration Used Shadowy Website To Target Activists For Deportation
The Trump administration had taken the assistance of an anonymously-run pro-Israel website for identifying pro-Palestine academics, in order to deport them, according to newly unsealed court documents. The website has been accused of doxxing. The court records show that the Department of Homeland Security had assembled a "tiger team" of intelligence analysts that made a report of 100 foreign students and scholars that participated in pro-Palestine protests. Canary Mission, is a shadowy website whose goal is to expose anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment on college campuses. It also posts photos and social media profiles of pro-Palestinian academics and logs their protest activities. The website identified 75 of those people, per a deposition testimony. However, the website responded that it "had no contact with this administration or the previous administration", Politico reported. "We document individuals and groups that promote hatred of the USA, Israel and Jews. We investigate hatred across the political spectrum, including the far-right, far-left and anti-Israel activists," the group said. Immigration lawyers and pro-Palestine activists feared that the Trump administration had not been doing independent research and just picking names from the Canary Mission. Peter Hatch, Homeland Security official testified that although the site was significant to dig out names, the information was independently verified. "Canary Mission is not a part of the U.S. government," he said. "It is not information that we would take as an authoritative source. We don't work with the individuals who create the website. I don't know who creates the website", he said. He also added that, "Many of the names or even most of the names came from that website, but we were getting names and leads from many different websites." Apart from Canary Mission, there was another group called Betar US, through which other leads came. The group also used the slogan "Jews fight back" and profiles pro-Palestinian activists on its website. The website on X had posted that they had provided a "deport list" to Trump officials, mere days after Trump returned to the White House in January. Mohammad khalil says Zionists don't deserve to live while he's on a visa @Columbia . It's 10 pm and @ICEgov is aware of his home address and whereabouts. We have provided all his information to multiple contacts. He's on our deport list! — Betar Worldwide (@Betar_USA) January 30, 2025 Trump aide Stephen Miller was deeply involved in the effort to revoke visas of pro-Palestinian academics, the court records reveal. Lawyers of Mahmoud Khalil, a former graduate of Columbia University who was arrested and detained in an immigration facility for more than three months had filed Freedom of Information Act requests, that raised an enquiry about Canary Mission's role in detaining him. The seeked information to "document and expose the reported collaboration between federal officials and private, anti-Palestinian organisations who have identified, doxxed, and reported him and others for purposes of securing the deportation of student activists advocating on behalf of Palestinian human rights." According to the New York Times, Nadia Abu El-Haj, an anthropology professor at Barnard College and Columbia, who said her own profile had been listed on the Canary Mission website, but since she was a US citizen, she was comfortable speaking in defence of the demonstrations. She also noted that during the Trump administration's crackdown in March, many students began to retreat from public life after their personal information and photos were listed on the website.
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Iranian MAGA supporter detained by immigration authorities still backs Trump
From her suburban home in Los Angeles County, Arpineh Masihi proudly flew the Trump flag and stocked her shelves with MAGA hats. A lifelong immigrant and devout supporter of the president's hardline immigration policies, she believed in his promise to deport 'criminals' and 'make America great again.' Then ICE knocked on her door. But her support for Donald Trump remained intact. 'He's doing the right thing because lots of these people don't deserve to be here,' Arpineh, the mother of four US-born children, told the BBC over the phone from the Adelanto immigration detention centre in the Mojave Desert. 'I will support him until the day I die. He's making America great again.' Arpineh, 39, moved to the US as a toddler and has spent nearly her entire life in California. In 2008, she was convicted of burglary and grand theft and served a two-year prison sentence. A judge revoked her Green Card, a common consequence, but allowed her to remain in the country due to the dangers she might face as a Christian Armenian Iranian if deported. 'We are Christians. She can't go back, there's no way,' said her husband Arthur Sahakyan, watching their 4-year-old daughter run through the house. Since then, Arpineh rebuilt her life, starting a business, raising four children, and volunteering in the community. She is part of Southern California's vast Iranian diaspora, with areas like West Los Angeles, nicknamed 'Tehrangeles,' hosting the largest population of Iranians outside Iran. Yet even among that community, Arpineh's arrest has sparked unease. Immigration raids have ramped up, detaining people from around the world. While most detainees in LA are Mexican nationals, Department of Homeland Security updates show arrests of individuals from dozens of countries. Trump's pledge to launch 'the largest deportation programme of criminals in the history' helped win him the White House. Arpineh and her family still support that promise — but they're hoping she's not among those ultimately removed. 'I don't blame Trump, I blame Biden,' Arthur said. 'It's his doing for open borders, but I believe in the system and all the good people will be released and the ones that are bad will be sent back.' Though many detainees have no criminal history, Arpineh's 2008 conviction makes her a prime target. ICE declined to comment on her case. Arthur points he never asked for details about the burglary; he saw it as a youthful mistake. Instead, he focuses on her contributions over the past 17 years. 'We all make mistakes,' he said. 'But she's been volunteering, feeding police and firefighters. She's a good person.' On 30 June, while the family was having breakfast, Arpineh got a call from ICE. At first, they thought it was a prank. But within 30 minutes, immigration officers arrived. Despite public service campaigns urging immigrants not to open the door without a warrant, the couple stepped outside to talk. Arpineh showed them documentation from a judge's decision allowing her to remain in the US, provided she committed no further crimes and regularly checked in — her last check-in had been in April. The officers told her her circumstances had changed. They had a warrant. Arthur said the agents allowed her to say goodbye to their children, aged 14, 11, 10, and 4, and warned: 'No matter what, we're going to catch you – maybe if you're driving on the street with your kids.' 'They told us no matter what we're going to catch you – maybe if you're driving on the street with your kids – so we thought, what we'd been seeing on the news: flash bombs, cornering cars,' Arthur said. 'She came and kissed the kids goodbye,' he recalls. 'She came outside like a champion and said, 'Here I am'.' Arthur asked them not to cuff her in front of the children. They agreed to do it on the far side of the vehicle. 'I knew my kids were watching from upstairs,' he said. 'I didn't want them to see their mom handcuffed.' Arpineh was taken to a federal ICE facility in downtown LA, where protests against detention conditions have raged for weeks. She told the BBC she was held with 28 other women in a freezing, brightly lit room for three days, surviving on snacks and one bottle of water a day. She pointed they 'were treated like animals,' huddling together for warmth and sleeping on the floor. After three days, she was transferred to Adelanto, a privately-run ICE facility known for its harsh, prison-like conditions. Still, she said, it's an improvement. She now gets three meals a day, a shower, and a bed. 'But it's still very challenging,' she said. Despite her detention, Arpineh remains loyal to Trump and optimistic about her fate. 'I'm not deportable to any country,' she told the BBC. But recent precedents are worrying. In February, ICE deported a group of Iranian Christians — not to Iran, but to Panama. She calls her husband every hour to share updates, though there's little progress to report. Their older children understand what's happening. The youngest just keeps asking when her mother will return. 'I have four citizen children. I own a business. I own a property. I own cars,' Arpineh says. 'I haven't done anything wrong in so many years.' Inside, the house Arthur struggle to remain composed. 'Our home is broken,' Arthur says.
