Staff Reports
Elon Musk has launched a new political party called the America Party, directly challenging the Republican establishment after his public split with former President Donald Trump. This move comes as retaliation against Trump’s sweeping tax cuts legislation, which Musk fiercely criticized as “insane spending” that would “bankrupt our country with waste and graft.” Musk announced the party on his social media platform X, declaring it would “give you back your freedom” from what he called America’s “one-party system.”
Trump immediately slammed Musk’s decision as “ridiculous” during a press briefing, defending the traditional two-party structure. The former president dismissed third parties as “confusing” and unworkable, touting his “tremendous success with the Republican Party.” This fiery exchange marks a dramatic rupture between the two former allies, who previously collaborated on government efficiency initiatives.
The feud erupted after Musk’s intense opposition to Trump’s tax bill, which he claimed would cause “immense strategic harm” by adding trillions to the national debt. As head of the Department of Government Efficiency under Trump, Musk had championed spending cuts before their falling out over this legislation. His America Party pledge directly followed the bill’s passage, fulfilling his threat to act if it became law.
Musk tested public support through a July 4th poll on X, where over 65% of 1.2 million respondents backed his third-party plan. He proposes targeting “two or three Senate seats and eight to ten House districts” to disrupt the political establishment. This strategy aims to create leverage against both parties while avoiding a full-scale electoral challenge.
Trump’s allies swiftly criticized Musk’s political ambitions. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested Musk’s corporate boards would disapprove, noting his political ideas lacked popular support despite their appeal. Bessent’s remarks highlight the establishment’s resistance to Musk’s anti-system movement, framing it as a distraction from business leadership.
The America Party represents a conservative rebellion against what Musk views as reckless bipartisan spending. Positioning itself as the true defender of fiscal responsibility, the party channels grassroots frustration with Washington’s debt accumulation. Musk’s宣言 frames the new party as a necessary corrective to both parties abandoning fiscal discipline.
This rupture exposes deepening rifts within the conservative movement. While Trump champions party loyalty, Musk taps into anti-establishment sentiment by attacking “waste and graft” in government. Their clash reflects competing visions for conservatism—populist solidarity versus disruptive reform—with ordinary Americans caught in the middle.
The coming months will test whether Musk’s venture fragments conservative voters or forces genuine reform. As these titans collide, the future of right-wing politics hangs in the balance, with the America Party threatening to redirect the course of American democracy itself.
