Austin, USA – Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced the formation of a new political party, the “America Party,” weeks after a public disagreement with US President Donald Trump.
Musk made the announcement on his social media platform X on Saturday, positioning the new party as a challenge to the established Republican and Democratic two-party system in the United States. However, it remains unclear if the party has been formally registered with US election authorities. Musk, who was born outside the US and is therefore ineligible to run for the presidency, did not state who would lead the new political entity.
The prospect of forming a new party was first raised by Musk during his recent public feud with President Trump. This dispute saw Musk depart his role within the Trump administration and engage in a heated exchange with his former ally. During that row, Musk conducted a poll on X, asking users if a new political party was needed in the US.
Referencing the results of that poll in his Saturday post, Musk wrote: “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 democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
As of Saturday, the Federal Electoral Commission had not yet published any documents indicating the formal registration of the America Party. Historically, independent and third-party candidates in US politics have found it challenging to gain nationwide popularity strong enough to pose a significant threat to the two dominant parties. In last year’s presidential election, candidates from parties such as the Libertarian, Green, and People’s parties were unsuccessful in their bids against Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.
Fallout with Trump
Musk was previously a prominent supporter of President Trump, even attending rallies and bringing his four-year-old son to meet the former President in the Oval Office. He was also a key financial backer, reportedly spending $250 million to aid Trump’s re-election campaign.
Following the election, Musk was appointed to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge), a body tasked with identifying significant cuts in the federal budget.
His public fallout with Trump began in May when he left the administration and openly criticised Trump’s tax and spending plans. The legislation, which Trump dubbed his “big, beautiful bill,” was narrowly passed by Congress and signed into law by the President this week. The substantial law includes major spending commitments and tax cuts, and is projected to add more than $3 trillion to the US deficit over the next decade.
Crucially for Musk, who owns electric-vehicle giant Tesla, Trump’s bill does not prioritise green transition initiatives or subsidies for products like Teslas. This sparked a sharp retort from Trump. “Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, this week. “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.”
Trump also threatened to have Doge investigate subsidies benefiting Musk’s companies, alluding to his other businesses, which include SpaceX, a rocket launch provider for the US government, and Starlink, which supplies satellite services to US and European defence forces.
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