Elon Musk Unveils 'America Party' in Ambitious Bid to Reshape US Political Landscape

After rift with Trump and backlash over spending bill, Musk launches third-party challenge to break two-party hold on US politics

In a dramatic political move that could reshape the American electoral terrain, tech billionaire Elon Musk on Saturday formally announced the launch of the America Party—a third political force positioned to challenge the entrenched dominance of Democrats and Republicans.

This announcement follows weeks of visible friction between Musk and former President Donald Trump, culminating in what now appears to be a full-scale political divorce. What began as a grumbling over policy has evolved into a declaration of war against what Musk has repeatedly described as the “uniparty”—a system he claims serves the elites while bankrupting the nation.

Musk, the world's richest man and a key Republican donor in recent years, declared the formation of his new party via his social media platform, X, after conducting an informal poll of his followers. The result: an emphatic vote in favour of a new political alternative, with over 60% backing the idea in a survey that drew more than 1.2 million responses.

“For too long, America has suffered under a corrupt, bloated two-party regime,” Musk wrote, as he unveiled the America Party. “When it comes to waste and graft, we are governed by a single party masquerading as two. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

The announcement lands amid growing discontent with both major parties, especially among younger and independent voters. Musk's move, while bold, is not without historical echoes. Political upstarts like Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party in 1912 and Ross Perot’s Reform Party in the 1990s made significant dents in the system, but ultimately failed to dismantle the two-party stranglehold.

Musk’s ideological pivot comes on the heels of his vocal opposition to a sweeping Republican-led spending and tax bill recently signed into law with Trump’s backing. Musk took particular exception to provisions slashing electric vehicle credits—seen as a direct blow to Tesla, his flagship automotive company. The fallout spiralled quickly, with Musk using his platform to lambast the bill as fiscally irresponsible and a betrayal of voters’ trust.

In a typically unorthodox flourish, Musk invoked ancient Greek military strategy to explain his third-party ambitions: “The way we’re going to crack the uniparty system is by using a variant of how Epaminondas shattered the myth of Spartan invincibility at Leuctra—extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield.”

Musk’s critiques have not gone unanswered. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist and a fiery voice in right-wing circles, reacted harshly—calling for Musk to be “deported” and branding the America Party a disruptive vanity project.

Until recently, Musk had been a central, if unconventional, figure in the Trump political universe. He poured hundreds of millions into Trump’s 2020 campaign, served as the head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and advised on regulatory reform during Trump’s first term. But their alliance, once heralded as the fusion of business acumen with populist politics, began to fracture as their visions for America’s fiscal future sharply diverged.

By creating the America Party, Musk is not only testing the waters for political viability beyond business and tech—he’s openly declaring his intent to become a power broker in American politics. It is still unclear whether he intends to run for office himself or back candidates aligned with his anti-establishment platform.

Should Musk manage to harness discontent and convert social media fervour into ballot-box impact, the America Partycould force a rethink of American political calculus ahead of the next presidential election.

Yet, the road ahead is fraught with the same obstacles that doomed past third-party challengers: ballot access hurdles, lack of institutional support, and the unforgiving arithmetic of the Electoral College.

Still, as one of the most influential men on the planet—backed by wealth, reach, and relentless ambition—Elon Musk may just have the disruptive force to turn this long-shot idea into a legitimate political storm.