Latest news with #twoPartySystem
Fox News
5 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Elon Musk connects with indie Andrew Yang on billionaire former Trump ally's third party push
As Elon Musk moves forward with forming a third party in hopes of rocking the nation's longstanding two-party system, the world's richest person is reaching out to a one-time presidential candidate who has started his own independent party. Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX who spent the first four months of President Donald Trump's second administration as a special White House advisor steering the recently created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), spoke with Andrew Yang, Fox News has confirmed. A source familiar with the conversation said that the two discussed Musk's push to create the "America Party," which Musk aims to field some candidates in next year's midterm elections. "I'm excited for anyone who wants to move on from the duopoly," Yang said in a statement to Fox News. "And I'm happy to help give someone a sense of what the path looks like." News of the conversation was first reported by Politico. Yang grabbed national attention in the 2020 election cycle, as the entrepreneur went from an extreme longshot to briefly being a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Yang soured on the two-party system after an unsuccessful 2021 run for New York City mayor. He then formed the independent Forward Party, which has been recognized in a handful of states and aims to eventually gain ballot access from coast to coast. Yang and Musk are far from strangers. Musk in 2019 supported Yang's unsuccessful presidential bid. Musk became the top donor of the 2024 election cycle, dishing out nearly $300 million in support of Trump's bid through America PAC, a mostly Musk-funded super PAC aligned with Trump. Trump named Musk to steer DOGE soon after the November election, and the president repeatedly praised Musk during his headline-making and controversial tenure at the cost-cutting effort. But a feud between Musk and Trump broke out days after Musk left the White House in late May, as Musk dubbed the administration's massive landmark spending bill - which Trump called his "big, beautiful bill" - a "disgusting abomination," which he said would sink the nation into unsustainable debt. Musk also argued that Trump would not have won last year's presidential election without all of his support. Musk announced the launch of the "America Party" on his social media platform X on Saturday, a day after Trump signed the sweeping domestic policy package into law. The measure narrowly passed the Senate and House last week along near party-line votes in the Republican-controlled chambers. Trump on Sunday ridiculed Musk's move. "I think it's ridiculous to start a third party," Trump told reporters. "It's always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. The president added that "third parties have never worked. So, he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous." Starting an independent or third party, and gaining ballot access in states across the country, is extremely difficult.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Trump Says Musk's New Party Is 'Ridiculous'
President Trump scoffed at Elon Musk's announcement of a new America Party, calling it ridiculous and reaffirming that the U.S. functions under a two-party system. In comments to reporters on Sunday, Trump dismissed Musk's freshly minted political ventureteased on X with a poll showing 65% supportas a nonstarter. Musk, who has vocally criticized Trump's recent tax-and-spending bill as insane, had announced the formation of the America Party a day earlier but hasn't filed any formal paperwork yet. Trump quipped that third parties have never worked, and said Musk is free to have fun with it but that it won't upend the Democrats-Republicans duopoly. On Truth Social, Trump added that he was saddened to see Musk go completely off the rails, especially since the budget trims electric-vehicle subsidiesa move Musk vehemently opposes as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) pushes EV adoption. Musk's flirtation with a new party underscores growing tensions between tech titans and traditional politicsand highlights the limits of insurgent political movements in America. Trump's swift repudiation signals that even high-profile figures may struggle to break the longstanding two-party mold. For investors, Musk's political spats add another variable to Tesla's public perception and regulatory outlook, especially around EV incentives. As Musk ramps up his political commentary, Trump's rebuke makes clear that building a viable third party remains an uphill battleeven for Silicon Valley's most influential CEO. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Elon Musk launches ‘America Party' after Trump signs historic spending bill: 'Waste & graft'
Elon Musk says the two-party system is broken, and he just launched a new political party to prove it. On Saturday, Musk announced on X, the social media platform he owns, the formation of the "America Party," calling it a direct response to what he described as a corrupt political establishment that no longer represents the American people. The announcement followed a viral July 4 poll on X, where Musk asked whether voters wanted independence from what he called the "two-party (some would say uniparty) system." Elon Musk Indicates He'll Donate To Rep. Thomas Massie, A Republican Who Has Been Excoriated By Trump Over 1.2 million votes were cast, with 65.4% saying "yes." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it," Musk posted 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." Read On The Fox News App The move came just after President Donald Trump signed the "big, beautiful bill" into law Friday at the White House. The sweeping $3.3 trillion legislation includes tax cuts, infrastructure spending and stimulus measures and has drawn criticism from fiscal conservatives and libertarians. Though Musk did not reference the bill directly in his America Party posts, the timing suggests rising friction between the billionaire and the president. Musk has previously warned that unchecked spending by both parties threatens the long-term health of the economy. The new party, according to Musk's posts, will target a few key seats in Congress. The goal is to create a swing bloc powerful enough to hold the balance of power and block what Musk sees as the worst excesses of both Republicans and Democrats. Elon Musk Says Us Is Ruled By 'Porky Pig Party' As Trump Defends His Vision Against Former Ally's Criticism Some on the right voiced concern in the comments section that a third party could split the conservative vote and help Democrats win more easily. "Your third party will disproportionately take votes from the right vs the left and give the left an easier path to power," conservative commentator Shawn Farash posted. Others, like Joey Mannarino, urged Musk to focus instead on reforming the GOP from within. Critics also pointed out that the X poll was informal, not limited to American voters and vulnerable to bots. Third parties have traditionally had a difficult time gaining ground in American politics as the system is built for two dominant parties. With the Electoral College, winner-take-all elections and strict ballot access laws, outsiders cannot meaningfully compete. Even when a third-party candidate catches fire, it rarely lasts beyond a single election cycle. One of the biggest third-party efforts in recent history was Ross Perot's 1992 run. He earned nearly 19% of the popular vote as an independent but didn't win a single Electoral College vote. It was the closest a third-party candidate got to the White House after President Teddy Roosevelt's famed Bull Moose Party run in 1912 against his onetime protégé, William Howard article source: Elon Musk launches 'America Party' after Trump signs historic spending bill: 'Waste & graft'
NHK
05-07-2025
- Business
- NHK
Elon Musk conducts online poll on his plan for new political party
US tech billionaire Elon Musk has conducted a social media poll on his plan to create a new political party. The move came on Friday when President Donald Trump signed into law a tax-cut and spending bill. Musk had led the Department of Government Efficiency until late May, and worked to reduce government spending. He has been critical of the new legislation, saying that it would significantly increase US fiscal deficits. He wrote on his social media platform X, "Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party system!" Musk asked, "Should we create the America Party?" The online poll has received more than 1.24 million responses before it was closed. The result shows about 65 percent of respondents favor the idea. Currently, the Republican Party holds a slim majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Musk wrote in another post, "One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts." He added, "Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people." Musk's latest move on X is seen as an attempt to pressure Trump and his Republican Party ahead of next year's mid-term election.
Fox News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Elon Musk launches ‘America Party' after Trump signs historic spending bill: 'Waste & graft'
Elon Musk says the two-party system is broken, and he just launched a new political party to prove it. On Saturday, Musk announced on X, the social media platform he owns, the formation of the "America Party," calling it a direct response to what he described as a corrupt political establishment that no longer represents the American people. The announcement followed a viral July 4 poll on X, where Musk asked whether voters wanted independence from what he called the "two-party (some would say uniparty) system." Over 1.2 million votes were cast, with 65.4% saying "yes." "By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it," Musk posted 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." The move came just after President Donald Trump signed the "big, beautiful bill" into law Friday at the White House. The sweeping $3.3 trillion legislation includes tax cuts, infrastructure spending and stimulus measures and has drawn criticism from fiscal conservatives and libertarians. Though Musk did not reference the bill directly in his America Party posts, the timing suggests rising friction between the billionaire and the president. Musk has previously warned that unchecked spending by both parties threatens the long-term health of the economy. The new party, according to Musk's posts, will target a few key seats in Congress. The goal is to create a swing bloc powerful enough to hold the balance of power and block what Musk sees as the worst excesses of both Republicans and Democrats. Some on the right voiced concern in the comments section that a third party could split the conservative vote and help Democrats win more easily. "Your third party will disproportionately take votes from the right vs the left and give the left an easier path to power," conservative commentator Shawn Farash posted. Others, like Joey Mannarino, urged Musk to focus instead on reforming the GOP from within. Critics also pointed out that the X poll was informal, not limited to American voters and vulnerable to bots. Third parties have traditionally had a difficult time gaining ground in American politics as the system is built for two dominant parties. With the Electoral College, winner-take-all elections and strict ballot access laws, outsiders cannot meaningfully compete. Even when a third-party candidate catches fire, it rarely lasts beyond a single election cycle. One of the biggest third-party efforts in recent history was Ross Perot's 1992 run. He earned nearly 19% of the popular vote as an independent but didn't win a single Electoral College vote. It was the closest a third-party candidate got to the White House after President Teddy Roosevelt's famed Bull Moose Party run in 1912 against his onetime protégé, William Howard Taft. Others, like Ralph Nader, have tried with the Green Party, and Gary Johnson with the Libertarian Party, but no third-party candidate has come close to winning national HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPThe White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
