Elon Musk has ignited political speculation after proposing the creation of a new political party to represent what he calls the “80% in the middle” of American politics. The suggestion came via a poll posted on X, just hours after a public spat with President Donald Trump over the latest congressional spending package.
Musk’s poll asked, “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” As of Thursday afternoon, 84% of roughly 270,000 respondents voted “yes,” showing strong support for the idea. The poll had garnered over 2 million views in just hours.
The move comes amid growing tensions between Musk and President Trump following their sharp disagreement over the “Big Beautiful Bill” — a major congressional spending package backed by Trump. Musk publicly slammed the bill earlier this week, calling it “a disgusting abomination” filled with wasteful spending and insufficient fiscal restraint.
President Trump, responding from the Oval Office, said he was “disappointed” in Musk and accused him of flip-flopping, noting that Musk previously supported the bill while serving as a special government employee. Trump claimed Musk only began criticizing the legislation after learning it included cuts to electric vehicle mandates.
Musk fired back on X, calling Trump’s claims “false” and insisting the bill was passed so quickly that “almost no one in Congress could even read it.” He added that the legislation was never presented to him during his advisory role.
The feud escalated when Musk asserted his own importance to the GOP’s 2024 victory, claiming, “Without me, Trump would have lost the election.” Trump countered by suggesting that the government should cut off subsidies and contracts to Musk’s company, Tesla, calling it the “easiest way” to save federal dollars.
The public back-and-forth has exposed deep fractures between the tech mogul and the political establishment, with Musk now floating the idea of reshaping the political landscape entirely. Whether the poll is a publicity tactic or the first step toward a serious political movement remains to be seen.
