Latest news with #TheOneBigBeautifulBill
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Elon Musk Can't Run For President—But This Is What His Party Can Do
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Elon Musk's new political party could split the right-wing vote but is unlikely to succeed in any major way, experts have told Newsweek. While Musk cannot run for president because he was born in South Africa, the party has the potential to shake-up politics ahead of the midterms, though it is doubtful it will break through in its own right. Experts doubted Musk could organize a fully fledged political party in time to fight the midterms in a meaningful way, but conceded that he could certainly create enough disruption to cause a few upsets and allow the democrats to make significant gains. Why It Matters On Saturday, Musk announced he was forming a new political party called the "America Party." It came after Musk—who supported Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign and who the president put in charge of the agency Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) —fell out with Trump over "The One Big Beautiful Bill." Elon Musk and President Donald Trump take part in a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House May 30, 2025. Elon Musk and President Donald Trump take part in a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House May 30, 2025. Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images Musk posted a poll on July 4, asking respondents if they wanted a new party, with 65.4 percent saying that they backed the idea. On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," citing the poll. What To Know As a foreign-born U.S. citizen, Musk cannot run for president but he can support third-party candidates, who can put themselves on the ballot in every state, if they have enough signatures to support their bid. It is rare for third-party candidates to break through significantly. Experts told Newsweek that it is possible that Musk's party could split the right-wing vote. If this happens, Democrats may be able to pick up seats in the Senate and the House. Given the Republican majorities in these institutions are so slight, this could affect the balance of the House. They also noted that to be successful, the party would need to be well-organized and well financed, or it will flounder. What People Are Saying Speaking to Newsweek, Carl Tobias, Williams chair in law at the University of Richmond said: "Musk provides few specifics regarding his vision for creating a new viable third party, which has rarely succeeded in the country's 250-year history. However, Musk's attempt to establish another political party appears likely to bring even greater uncertainty into the already unclear Senate and House midterm elections. For instance, Democrats must only win a small number of posts in the Senate and the House to capture razor-thin majorities in each house. Musk, whose mantra is to 'move rapidly and break things,' could well do exactly that in the 2026 midterm elections." Scott Lucas, a professor in international politics at University College Dublin, told Newsweek that the success of the party "depends on whether Elon has the bandwidth in terms of time, resources and attention span to do what is necessary to establish a political party." "It's one thing to tweet about it," he continued, "it's far different to organize it." He added that Musk would need to recruit candidates and staff as well as volunteers across the United States to get the movement off the ground and that there is not much time to do that before the November 2026 midterms. He also said that while Musk is well-financed, if he is the only person financing the venture then "it doesn't really look like a party as much as an ego project." "This can't just simply be a one-man show firing off tweets and just poking at Trump," he said. Dafydd Townley, an American politics expert at the University of Portsmouth, previously told Newsweek that "third parties do not tend to have a long lifetime in American politics," adding that Musk's new party "would likely split the Republican vote, potentially resulting in a Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, at least in the short term, due to the winner-takes-all electoral system." What Happens Next The impact Musk's party will have on a federal level remains to be seen as further details about it emerge. It is not known how the party will be structured and what other figures will be involved in it though some political figures have appeared to express interest in the venture.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Elon Musk's New Party: Who Has Declared Interest?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Elon Musk's new political party has attracted the interest of political figures including Mark Cuban and Anthony Scaramucci. Writing on X, formerly Twitter, multiple people have responded to Musk announcing he would form a new party, though he has also attracted criticism, too. Why It Matters On Saturday, Musk announced he was forming a new political party called the "America Party." It came after Musk—who supported Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaign and who the president put in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency—fell out with Trump over "The One Big Beautiful Bill." Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on March 9, 2020. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on March 9, 2020. AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File Musk posted a poll on July 4, asking respondents if they wanted a new party, with 65.4 percent saying that they supported the idea. On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," citing the poll. Given he is a foreign-born U.S. citizen, Musk cannot run for president but he can support third-party candidates, who can put themselves on the ballot in every state, if they have enough signatures to support their bid. However, this could prove difficult because it is rare for third-party candidates to break through significantly in federal elections. What To Know Posting on X, Marc Cuban, a billionaire businessman and TV personality suggested he was interested in the party, sharing fireworks emojis then writing: "I work with [Center for Competitive Democracy]. They will help you get on ballots. That is their mission." Anthony Scaramucci, who was fired by Donald Trump just 10 days into the job as White House communications director in 2017, wrote: "I would like to meet to discuss." Social media personality Brian Krassenstein, who has over 900,000 followers, wrote: "Awesome! Where can we see more information?" Tyler Palmer, a tech investor and producer, suggested policies the America Party should endorse like modernizing the military with AI and robotics and said if these policies were on the platform "where do we send our donations?" Is this the America Party platform? -reduce debt, responsible spending only -modernize military with ai/robotics -pro tech, accelerate to win in ai -less regulation across board but especially in energy -free speech -pro natalist -centrist policies everywhere else If so… — Tyler Palmer (@tyler__palmer) July 5, 2025 However, other people expressed concerns about the party. Roger Stone, a longtime Republican strategist and Trump loyalist, said: "I have huge respect for @elonmusk and everything he has done for free speech and to ferret out waste fraud and corruption in federal spending, but I would rather see him pursue his efforts at electoral reform within the Republican Party primaries rather than having a new party splitting the vote of sane people and letting the Marxist Democrats gain control again." Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon also criticized the party on the Friday edition of his podcast The War Room. "The foul, the buffoon. Elmo the Mook, formerly known as Elon Musk, Elmo the Mook," Bannon said. "He's today, in another smear, and this—only a foreigner could do this—think about it, he's got up on, he's got up on Twitter right now, a poll about starting an America Party, a non-American starting an America Party." He added: "No, brother, you're not an American. You're a South African. We take enough time and prove the facts of that, you should be deported because it's a crime of what you did—among many." What People Are Saying Dafydd Townley, an American politics expert at the University of Portsmouth, previously told Newsweek that "third parties do not tend to have a long lifetime in American politics," adding that Musk's new party "would likely split the Republican vote, potentially resulting in a Democrat-dominated House of Representatives, at least in the short term, due to the winner-takes-all electoral system." What Happens Next As more details about the party emerge, it is likely that other high-profile political figures will comment on it, either to criticize the initiative or to offer their support.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
'America Party formed to give you back freedom': Elon Musk officially launches new political party amid ongoing feud with Donald Trump
In a major development, tech billionaire and Tesla owner Elon Musk on Friday announced the formation of a new political party under the name 'America Party.' Interestingly, the announcement came just days after US President Donald Trump and Musk's public feud on social media platform X (formerly called Twitter). The 54-year-old Tesla CEO, some days ago, noticed an idea floating on the internet regarding a party formation, to which the billionaire reacted positively and said the decision was made in response to the overwhelming support from the users on the platform. The tech mogul took to his X and shared a post mentioning, "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party, and you shall have it!. 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 the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom. Surprising announcements may stress the tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump The announcement comes suddenly amid the ongoing feud between Musk and Trump, who he once considered a key ally. On the other hand, Elon Musk had also invested about a million in Trump's re-election campaign and even became a major part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) during Donald Trump's presidency. However, the relations between the duo soured last week after Donald Trump signed a sweeping tax cut and spending bill called 'The One Big Beautiful Bill.' According to reports, this was one of the moves that Musk strongly opposed. In response, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO suggested political payback, pledging to use his wealth to campaign against lawmakers who supported the legislation. Elon Musk and Donald Trump's feud Following this, the tensions between the duo intensified when Trump threatened to cut off federal subsidies to Elon Musk's companies, which is a significant financial pressure point. However, Musk had earlier said that he would start a new political party and spend money to unseat the lawmakers who supported the bill. Meanwhile, before launching his party, Musk shared a poll on the occasion of US Independence Day, when he asked whether respondents "want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system" that dominated US politics for about two centuries. The SpaceX owner had a major rift with the president after spearheading the Republican push to reduce spending and eliminate federal jobs while leading the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The feud flared up again in dramatic fashion late last Monday when Trump urged Republicans in Congress to force through his sweeping domestic agenda, packaged as the One Big Beautiful Bill.
France 24
02-07-2025
- Business
- France 24
Can Musk's proposed ‘America Party' become a Republican party pooper?
The first salvo in the second round of the Elon Musk - Donald Trump breakup saga was fired before the US president's massive spending bill headed to the Senate this week. The world's richest man opposes the tax-cut and spending bill advanced by the world's most powerful man – and the two are again at each other's throats. Musk is so upset about the act, dubbed 'The One Big Beautiful Bill', that he has threatened to form a new political party to undermine the Republicans. Ahead of Tuesday's Senate vote, Musk vowed to create his rival party, titled the "America Party", if the Republicans approved the bill. 'If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day. Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uni-party so that the people actually have a VOICE,' Musk said on X on Monday evening. 'Vox populi, vox Dei'? Musk's alternate party threat is not new. The billionaire businessman floated the idea in early June during the first round of the Musk-Trump bromance-to-breakup proceedings, which erupted on social media. Shortly after formally stepping down from his role in the Trump administration as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk launched a 'poll' on X to see if his social media followers were in favour of creating a new party. Musk's hundreds of millions of X followers were informed that the new party would be in the 'middle' of the political spectrum, between the Democrats and the Republicans. On Tuesday, Musk brought up his poll again on X, posting the 80% favouring a new party result with the phrase, 'Vox Populi, Vox Dei'. Since the Latin phrase translates as "the voice of the people [is] the voice of God", the post suggested that Musk was now obliged to follow the majority opinion. Except the 'vox populi' on X is not necessarily representative of the American people. 'I don't think it's particularly serious,' said Richard Johnson, senior lecturer in US politics and policy at Queen Mary University of London. Experts note that even Musk's considerable fortune would not be enough to create a new movement. 'It is possible to create a party, and money can help, but it's a fairly closed system,' confirmed Jérôme Viala-Gaudefroy, a US politics expert and author of the book ' Les mots de Trump ' (The Words of Trump). In practical terms, it's 'very, very difficult to create a new party in the US system. There are all kinds of barriers, state by state, which require huge numbers of signatures to get to be put on the ballot', said Johnson. 'This isn't just a case of money. You actually need thousands and thousands of people in every state to give your party ballot access. So this kind of the undertaking would be enormous, and it would require a huge investment in time.' Viala-Gaudefroy is sceptical about Musk's ability to generate enough popular enthusiasm to garner the requisite number of signatures. Musk is 'even lower in the polls than Donald Trump, he has angered the Democratic electorate and his positions are not very popular among independent voters either', he noted. A 'wealthy tech bro' sours on 'woke ideology' The political platform of a potential America Party would indeed struggle to appeal to a broad electorate. Musk's brand of politics, which Johnson describes as 'basically Silicon Valley, but a little bit more socially conservative', is distasteful for many voters across the Republican-Democrat divide. 'His kind of anti-woke positions is offensive to Democrats,' noted Johnson. But on the other hand, Musk also supports the kind of high-skilled immigrant labour that has powered the Silicon Valley startup industry. 'He basically has the positions of a wealthy tech bro who has soured a bit on what he views as woke ideology, but otherwise carries a lot of the policy positions of wealthy tech men in California,' explained Johnson. In other words, Musk's economic positions – such as his support for greener energy sources, compatible with his Tesla electric cars, or his defence of high-skilled immigration – are unlikely to appeal to Trump's electoral base. On the other side of the political spectrum, his controversial statements and gestures – such as his raised arm, which strongly resembles a Nazi salute – disqualify him in the eyes of more progressive voters. A measure of the billionaire businessman's unpopularity was evident in Wednesday's market quarterly deliveries, which saw Tesla posting a 13.5% drop in sales over the past three months, reflecting a lingering anti-Musk sentiment. A 'beautiful' bill splits conservative ranks While the Tesla-SpaceX boss may be delusional about his actual popularity in the real world, experts say the new party threat could be Musk's way of sending the message that he is prepared to go to great lengths to hurt 'Trumpism'. Viala-Gaudefroy believes the president's inner circle should be more concerned about Musk's promises to 'defeat Trumpist candidates' using his personal fortune if the tax-cut and spending bill is passed. By becoming the Republican Party's biggest donor, Musk proved very useful to Trump during the presidential campaign. The US president probably does not want to see the world's richest man turn his billions of dollars against Trumpist candidates in the 2026 midterm elections, or even in the Republican primaries. 'This could have a significant impact, as the presidential majority in Congress is very slim. It could tip the balance if Elon Musk manages to sway the scales against pro-Trump candidates in just a few key constituencies,' explained Viala-Gaudefroy. The political precariousness was on display on Tuesday, when Senate Republicans squeaked through their sweeping tax and spending bill by a 51-to-50 vote that required Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaker. The close Senate vote reflected the considerable angst within the Republican Party over the bill, which even lost its grandiose 'One Big Beautiful Bill' name after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invoked Senate budget rules to delete the title of the bill on the floor Tuesday. Trump himself appears to be cognisant of the threat Musk poses to his fiscal conservative base. Shortly before the bill was put to a Senate vote on Tuesday, the US president launched a high-octane castigation of his former billionaire friend. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he would 'take a look' at measures to consider deporting the South African-born Musk, who has held US citizenship since 2002. Trump also signaled that he could take aim at the huge contracts and subsidies that Musk's Space X rocket and Starlink satellite internet businesses receive from the US government. "We might have to put DOGE on Elon. You know what DOGE is? DOGE is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon," Trump said. Money is important, but not everything Democrats, for the moment, might be rubbing their hands with glee over the latest round of the Musk-Trump fallout. Some party figures have floated the possibility of Democrats making overtures to Musk, given his political largesse. But others warn that the financial support of someone as controversial as Musk could just as easily hurt a Democratic candidate. As a result, experts interviewed by FRANCE 24 believe that the most effective tactic for the billionaire businessman would be to promise to support all Republican candidates who, in a right-wing primary, run against Trump's men. While money is important in US politics, it's not everything, notes Johnson. 'When Barack Obama first ran for the Senate, he ran against one of the wealthiest men in Illinois,' explained Johnson, referring to Obama's 2004 Democratic primary win over multimillionaire Chicago trader Blair Hull, who spent 'spent millions and millions of dollars, outspending Obama massively. He got nowhere in the Democratic primary because basically, he wasn't offering anything that Democratic voters found particularly interesting'. But while Musk's money could potentially be toxic for Democratic candidates, the disruption he has caused among Republican ranks is an asset for Democrats. 'We are witnessing a kind of civil war brewing within the Republican Party,' said Viala-Gaudefroy. The Democrats could hardly dream of a better scenario than one in which Trump does everything in his power to defeat Republican candidates who have opposed his spending bill while Musk does the opposite.
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Money, money, money': White House talks up ‘no tax on overtime' under Trump's pet bill that came under fire from Musk
The White House has touted the benefits of United States President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' which has seen pushback from many quarters and was the starting point for former DOGE chief Elon Musk's public critique of the president. A video posted by the official handle of the White House on multiple social media platforms Monday talked up the proposal to eliminate tax on tips and overtime. Asserting that 'you keep what you earn,' under the proposed bill, it proclaimed: 'More hours = More cash. That's America First.' followed by emojis of an explosion and the American flag. The White House captioned the post: 'Money, money, money, moneyyyy! Every overtime shift? TAX-FREE. Under President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, YOU KEEP WHAT YOU EARN. More hours = More cash. That's America First. US.' A post shared by The White House (@whitehouse) The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' seeks to shake up several aspects of the US economy, according to the Trump administration, including via Tax cuts: The bill promises permanent tax cuts, with a double-digit per cent decrease in tax bills No tax on tips and overtime: Eliminates federal taxes on tips and overtime pay for workers Tax relief for seniors: Slashes taxes on seniors' Social Security benefits Medicaid changes: Removes illegal immigrants from taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits; Prohibits Medicaid funding for gender transition procedures for minors. Raises debt ceiling: It raises the upper limit on what the US government is allowed to borrow to keep itself running. The US government already runs a deficity. Why the bill has sparked debate The One Big Beautiful Bill has sparked intense debate and also ignited the infamous Trump-Musk feud. Days before exiting his role as a special government employee, Musk said he was 'disappointed' to see the bill. 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,' Musk said, while speaking to CBS News. 'I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don't know if it can be both,' he said. Once outside the government setup, his criticism was more scathing, calling it a 'disgusting abomination'. He also called on the Americans to tell their representatives in Washington to 'kill the bill'. Trump soon turned his ire towards his once staunch ally, warning him of 'serious consequences' if the Tesla boss proceeded with plans to fund Democratic candidates.
