President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Elon Musk’s announcement of a new political party, calling the tech billionaire a “train wreck” in a Truth Social post on Sunday.
Trump’s statement comes after Musk declared the formation of the “America Party” on Saturday, following a poll on social media that showed 65.4 percent support for a third-party alternative among his 1.25 million respondents.
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Musk via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
This clash between Trump and Musk represents a significant political realignment that could reshape the Republican Party and American politics more broadly.
Musk was born in South Africa but obtained his U.S. citizenship in 2002. The tech mogul took an increasingly prominent role in politics through his partnership Trump during the 2024 presidential cycle, pumping money into the Republican’s campaign and utilizing his social media platform, X, to promote him.
However, Musk and Trump had a very public breakup in May after the Tesla CEO departed the federal government, having spent a few controversial months headlining the effort to reduce “waste, fraud, and abuse” through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk started talks around forming a new political party after revealing he was fiercely opposed to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which narrowly passed the House on Thursday.
While Musk has walked back some of his more outrageous allegations and attacks, he has persisted with the idea that the U.S. needs a new political party.
Despite the U.S. operating under what’s fundamentally a two-party system, third-party candidates for president are allowed to put themselves on the ballot across the 50 states. All states require a certain number of signatures, which differs by state, to support a candidate’s bid. A large political operation would be needed to gain the necessary traction to actually gain a foothold as a party.
Musk’s departure from Trump’s inner circle and his decision to launch a third party threatens to split conservative voters and potentially impact future elections
What To Know
In a lengthy Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump delivered a scathing critique of Musk’s political trajectory over the past five weeks, calling him “completely off the rails” and criticizing his third-party ambitions. The president emphasized that third parties have “never succeeded in the United States” and argued they only create “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”
Trump detailed specific grievances with Musk, particularly regarding the elimination of the Electric Vehicle mandate, which Trump said was a central campaign promise he discussed in “every speech” and “every conversation.” The president claimed he was “very surprised” that Musk had no objections to terminating the EV mandate despite giving Trump his “total and unquestioned Endorsement.”
The Truth Social post also revealed tensions over personnel decisions, with Trump criticizing Musk’s recommendation of a “blue blooded Democrat” friend for NASA leadership. Trump suggested this created inappropriate conflicts of interest, given that “NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life” and questioned whether Musk himself had ever contributed to Republican causes before their partnership.
The America Party announcement has attracted diverse reactions from political figures. Billionaire Mark Cuban and former Trump communications director Anthony Scaramucci have expressed interest in the new party, while Trump loyalists including Roger Stone and Steve Bannon have criticized the initiative as potentially vote-splitting and questioned Musk’s credentials as a foreign-born citizen.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats.”
Elon Musk on X: “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.”
Mark Cuban on X: “I work with [Center for Competitive Democracy]. They will help you get on ballots. That is their mission.”
Anthony Scaramucci, Former White House Communications Director, on X: “I would like to meet to discuss.”
Roger Stone, Republican Strategist, on X: “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.”
Steve Bannon on X: “The foul, the buffoon. Elmo the Mook, formerly known as Elon Musk… No, brother, you’re not an American. You’re a South African.”
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.”
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
What Happens Next
Musk faces significant structural challenges in building a viable third party, including ballot access requirements that vary by state and the need for substantial organizational infrastructure. Historical precedent suggests third parties struggle to maintain long-term relevance in American politics.
Update 7/1625, 7:50 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
