Elon Musk Breaks With Trump, Unveils Plans for a New “America Party”
A Tax Bill Sparks an Online Firestorm
The latest flash-point between tech titan Elon Musk and former President Donald Trump ignited late Thursday, minutes after Congress sent Trump-backed tax-cut and spending legislation—dubbed the Big Beautiful Bill—to the White House.
In a blunt post to his 205 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), Musk blasted the measure as “a disgusting abomination,” accusing lawmakers of “signing America’s future away to lobbyists and legacy industries.”
Trump: “Head Back to South Africa”
Trump fired back on his Truth Social platform, claiming Musk’s anger stemmed from language in the bill that begins phasing out federal electric-vehicle mandates and rebates—programs Tesla once championed.
“Elon’s gotten more taxpayer subsidies than any human in history,” Trump wrote. “Without them he’d be building toy cars back in Pretoria.”
Trump also hinted he would ask advisers to review “all federal contracts and credits” flowing to Musk-run companies.
Musk Hits the Nuclear Button: A Third Party
Hours later, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO escalated matters. He posted a poll simply asking: “Should we create the America Party?” After more than 12 million votes—roughly 73 percent in favor—Musk declared:
“You shall have it. The America Party is formed to return power to the citizens. We’ve been living under a one-party Uniparty, not a real democracy.”
Within minutes the hashtag #AmericaParty trended worldwide. Musk offered few policy details but promised a formal platform “within weeks,” focused on:
- Fiscal transparency – real-time public dashboards tracking every federal dollar
- Technological progress – incentives for innovation “over regulation”
- Decentralization – stronger state and local authority, term limits in Congress
- Civil‐liberties absolutism – “free speech, free code, free markets”
Political Shockwaves
Why it matters: Musk’s announcement is the most serious third-party effort by a high-profile business leader since Ross Perot in 1992—and could scramble the 2026 mid-term map if he pours his estimated $260 billion fortune into ballot access and media buys.
Republican reaction: House GOP Whip Maria Salazar called Musk’s move “a vanity project that hands seats to Democrats.” Several pro-Tesla Republicans, however, said they were “listening.”
Democratic response: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said, “Any party that opposes Trump’s extremist economics is welcome to the debate,” but warned that another billionaire-led movement could siphon progressive votes as well.
Retaliation Rumblings
Forbes, citing two senior aides, reported Trump has instructed lawyers to explore whether SpaceX’s lucrative Pentagon launch contracts can be “re-competed” and whether Musk’s residency status—he became a U.S. citizen in 2002—could somehow be revisited. Legal scholars called deportation talk “fantasy,” but the threat underscored the feud’s intensity.
What Comes Next?
- August: Musk says he will host a livestream “America Party Convention 0.1” from Boca Chica, Texas, outlining bylaws and seeking state coordinators.
- September: Deadline for third-party ballot petitions begins in several states. Musk hinted he may back state-level candidates before fielding a national slate.
- October: Congress must finalize 2026 budget reconciliations; Musk vows America Party supporters will “score every amendment in real time.”
Political strategists are split on whether Musk truly intends to run for office or to act as a king-maker—pressuring Republicans (and Democrats) to adopt pro-innovation planks or risk well-funded opposition.
For now, his clash with Trump has given the U.S. its newest wildcard: a tech billionaire promising to disrupt not an industry, but the entire American party system.
This story will be updated as more details emerge.
