Elon Musk has officially launched a third-party bid, unveiling his new “American Party” this weekend as a direct challenge to both major parties. Musk announced the party on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Today, the American Party is formed to give you back your freedom,” positioning it as a bulwark against a ‘one-party system’ dominating U.S. politics.
The timing aligns with widespread backlash to President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” tax-and-spending package, which Musk harshly criticized for ballooning the national debt. He condemned it as the work of a “PORKY PIG PARTY” and pledged to oppose lawmakers who supported the plan, even threatening to field opposition candidates in primaries.
Trump took to Truth Social to publicly denounce Musk’s announcement of a third party. Part of his post stated:
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely “off the rails,” essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States – The System seems not designed for them. 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, who have lost their confidence and their minds! Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running “machine,” that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country. It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time. I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning.”
Musk has also received pushback from James Fishback, CEO of Azoria. Fishback took to X to call out Musk for not giving Tesla and its shareholders the attention they deserve.
Fishback expressed his concerns in a letter addressed to Tesla’s board of directors, writing:
“I’m writing to inform you that Azoria is postponing next week’s public listing of the Azoria Tesla Convexity ETF. Our decision comes in direct response to Mr. Musk’s announcement that he is launching a new national political party.
“This creates a conflict with his full-time responsibilities as CEO of Tesla. It diverts his focus and energy away from Tesla’s employees and shareholders.
“Azoria believes that Tesla is the most compelling long-term investment in AI. With breakthroughs in robotaxis, Optimus, and full self-driving, no other company is positioned to lead the future like Tesla…. Unlike his work with SpaceX or xAI, which complement Tesla’s R&D efforts in AI, automation, and engineering, a political party not only fails to complement Tesla’s mission—it actively undermines it.
“I encourage the Board to meet immediately and ask Elon to clarify his political ambitions and evaluate whether they are compatible with his full-time obligations to Tesla as CEO. I remain hopeful that Elon will return his full attention to Tesla. If not, I trust the Board will take appropriate action.”
Musk’s ‘America Party’ aims to target a handful of strategic races: two or three Senate seats and eight to ten House districts. Its goal is to reshape political norms and prioritize fiscal responsibility. His move underscores growing disillusionment among voters who feel unrepresented by the status quo and points to a potentially defining moment of disruption in American politics.
