Elon Musk on Friday renewed his call for a new political party called the "America Party," outlining a targeted electoral strategy that would focus on winning just a handful of congressional seats to wield outsized influence in Washington.
The world's richest man posted on X that his hypothetical party would "laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts" because "given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people". The proposal comes as Musk continues his public feud with President Donald Trump over the recently passed budget legislation.
Musk's Independence Day poll on X drew more than 459,000 votes, with 62.1% of respondents supporting the creation of a new political party1. "Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system," Musk wrote2.
According to a poll by The Independent, nearly 40% of Americans said they would back Musk's third party if he created one3. The survey revealed that 23% of Republican men said they are "very likely" and 34% said "somewhat likely" to support the America Party3.
Musk's party proposal escalates his conflict with Trump, which began after the Tesla CEO left his advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency in May1. Musk has criticized Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" as "insane" and warned it would increase the national debt2.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller dismissed Musk's criticism as coming from an "outside voice," telling Fox News that "to oppose this bill is to support the invasion" and other policy failures1.
Political scientists remain skeptical about Musk's chances of creating a viable third party. Collin Anderson, a political science professor at the University at Buffalo, said it would be "extremely unlikely for a new major party to form" due to structural barriers in the U.S. political system1.
"The structure of the U.S. political system tends towards two major effective parties," Anderson explained. "One of the major parties would need to essentially collapse in order for Musk's new party to have any real chance"1.
