Musk Announces Formation of America Party Amid Ongoing Trump Feud

nytimes.com/2025/07/05/us/politics/elon-musk-third-party.html

Revised Article

Elon Musk announced on Saturday that he would create a new political party called the America Party, citing frustration with what he described as a 'one-party system' of government waste and corruption. Writing on his social media platform X, Musk declared that the party was formed to 'give you back your freedom' and would be active in elections 'next year.'

However, as of Saturday evening, Musk had not filed the required paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to establish the new party. According to sources familiar with his recent conversations, Musk's discussions about forming a political party have been more conceptual than pragmatic, suggesting the announcement may be preliminary.

The announcement comes amid Musk's ongoing feud with President Trump, which escalated dramatically in January 2025 when Musk posted on X that Trump appears in unreleased Epstein files. The conflict intensified when Trump suggested terminating Musk's government contracts while Musk called for Trump's impeachment. Musk had previously threatened to form a new political party in January 2025 if Trump's comprehensive Republican spending bill passed, expressing concerns about its fiscal impact.

Musk officially left his position at the Department of Government Efficiency in May 2025 after serving as a special government employee for 130 days. He has since criticized Trump's domestic policy bill as a 'disgusting abomination,' arguing it would 'massively increase the already gigantic budget deficit.' The Congressional Budget Office projected that the bill would increase the national debt by approximately $2.8 trillion over ten years.

Creating a viable third party faces significant structural challenges in the American political system. New parties must achieve ballot access in all 50 states, which typically costs millions of dollars and requires thousands of petition signatures in each state with varying requirements and deadlines. The winner-take-all electoral system and debate access requirements heavily favor the two major parties, making it extremely difficult for new parties to gain meaningful political influence, regardless of the founder's wealth or celebrity status.

Missing Context & Misinformation 6

  • Musk left his position at the Department of Government Efficiency in May 2025 after serving as a special government employee for 130 days, officially departing during a joint Oval Office press conference with President Trump on May 30, 2025.
  • The Trump-Musk feud escalated dramatically in January 2025 when Musk posted on X that Trump appears in unreleased Epstein files, with Trump subsequently suggesting terminating Musk's government contracts while Musk called for Trump's impeachment.
  • Musk threatened to form a new political party in January 2025 if Trump's comprehensive Republican spending bill passed, calling it destructive to American jobs and vowing to support primary challenges against Republicans who voted for it.
  • The Congressional Budget Office projected that Trump's domestic policy bill would increase the national debt by approximately $2.8 trillion over ten years, providing context for Musk's fiscal concerns.
  • Creating a new political party requires extensive infrastructure including ballot access in all 50 states, which typically costs millions of dollars and requires thousands of petition signatures in each state, with different requirements and deadlines varying by state.
  • Third parties in the United States face significant structural barriers, as the winner-take-all electoral system and debate access requirements heavily favor the two major parties, making it extremely difficult for new parties to gain meaningful political influence.

Disinformation & Lies 1

No disinformation or lies detected in this article.

Bias 3

The article contains some loaded language that shows bias against Musk, such as describing his party formation as an 'enormous and challenging undertaking' and emphasizing his 'long history of not following through on promises.' However, this bias is largely fair given Musk's documented pattern of making grand announcements without follow-through. The article also provides useful context by noting he hadn't filed paperwork and that discussions were 'more conceptual than pragmatic,' which helps readers understand the preliminary nature of the announcement. The bias serves the valuable purpose of tempering expectations about what may be more of a publicity stunt than a serious political endeavor.