As everyone knows, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk had a falling out over the big, beautiful bill (BBB).
After it appeared that they had made up, Musk could not hold his tongue after the bill was passed, and he announced that he would be starting the “America Party” to challenge the current two-party system.
Trump just spoke on it, and it would appear that the feud is back on.
Musk posted a survey on X last week, and it absolutely blew up, with the question being whether Americans wanted to see a third party established to push back against the GOP and the Democratic Party.
As the poll concluded, Musk posted, “By a factor of two to one, you want a new political party and you shall have it! When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy."
He went on, “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Musk then said this strategy will be to focus on two to three Senate seats and eight to 10 House seats to get things started. He concluded, “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.”
Trump was surprisingly measured in his response to Musk, but it was clear he was perturbed over his former friend breaking away from the GOP.
He stated, "I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party. We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion."
Trump added, "It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked. So, he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous."
It’s true that no other third-party efforts have been successful, but they have never been backed with the financial support Musk can offer to the cause, so this could be a very real threat to the GOP.
Traditionally, third parties get a little attention, then fizzle out, with Georgetown political historian Michael Kazin explaining, “Third parties are like honeybees -- they sting and then they die.”
I think this could be different, especially with Musk outlining a strategy to stay laser-focused on only a handful of seats. We also have to assume that the America Party would caucus with the GOP rather than the Democrats, so it would not hurt the GOP in terms of the majority.
There are enough people in certain areas who are fed up with the two-party system, and we often see that in polling, with so many undecided voters who see nothing they like in the candidates on either side of the aisle. Not to mention, both parties are now about loyalty to leadership rather than We the People, so I think Musk’s strategy could be successful if he can get some solid candidates to run under his party’s umbrella.
The area where this really hurts the GOP, however, is in fundraising. Trump has a reported $1.4 billion war chest, and I would wager that a considerable amount of that came directly from Musk or his PAC, which now changes. Musk finally gave the GOP a deep-pocketed donor to offset George Soros, and now he is gone. If Musk targets some small-market seats in battleground states, I think he can pull off stealing a few seats, and I think that would serve as a much-needed wake-up call for both parties. I have zero loyalty to Musk, and I don’t really like the man, but I am leaning toward wanting to see this party be successful just to throw a real scare into the establishment on both sides of the aisle.