Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has confirmed the formation of a new political party in the United States, dubbed the America Party, following a highly publicized fallout with President Donald Trump.
The announcement comes days after Trump signed into law a sweeping domestic policy bill that Musk had fiercely opposed, describing it as fiscally irresponsible.
The move marks a significant escalation in Musk’s involvement in US politics. After spending hundreds of millions supporting Trump’s re-election in 2024 and leading the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), Musk has shifted his strategy towards challenging what he labels a “uniparty” system comprising both major parties. He argues this dynamic no longer represents the public’s interests.
Musk Plans Strategic Disruption of the Two-Party System
In a series of posts on his platform X, Musk claimed the America Party would initially focus on a limited number of key races in the 2026 midterm elections, aiming to gain influence by targeting “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts.”
According to his statements, this approach is designed to capitalize on the “razor-thin legislative margins” in Congress, where a small bloc of votes can decide major legislative outcomes.
Musk stated, “Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring they serve the true will of the people.”
He also indicated the party would caucus independently and engage with both Republicans and Democrats. Despite the declarations, as of Saturday there was no record of the party being registered with the Federal Election Commission, according to reports.
While Musk has not specified which constituencies the party will contest, he has reiterated his goal to use concentrated resources in a small number of races.
The billionaire has already threatened to financially back primary challenges against lawmakers—both Republican and Democrat—who supported the recent spending bill. That legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, is expected to add $3.3 trillion to the US deficit, according to several independent estimates.
Legal and Logistical Hurdles Loom for New Political Movements
Despite Musk’s considerable financial resources and public influence, experts suggest launching a successful third party in the US remains a formidable challenge.
According to election law specialist Brett Kappel, “The hurdles for creating a new party and getting it on the ballot are extremely high. It can be done if you have endless amounts of money, but it’s a multi-year project and will cost hundreds of millions of dollars,”
Each US state imposes different legal requirements for new parties to achieve ballot access, ranging from collecting hundreds of thousands of signatures to maintaining minimum voter registration thresholds.
The Green Party and Libertarian Party, both decades old, still face significant challenges in securing national recognition.
A party such as the America Party would need to navigate 50 separate sets of rules while facing likely litigation from major parties. Musk, however, appears undeterred and has stated that “Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party system.”
Though the America Party has yet to articulate a comprehensive political platform, Musk has framed its creation as a necessary response to what he sees as fiscal irresponsibility and institutional stagnation. Whether this new venture will translate into electoral influence remains to be seen.
