Elon Musk has intensified his already unpredictable conflict with President Trump in recent days, unveiling plans for a new political group and mocking the president regarding the Jeffrey Epstein matter.
Elon Musk unveiled a new “America Party” group following the Republicans’ passage of Trump’s key legislative measure, leading to criticism from the president, who labeled the concept “absurd” and criticized his former ally as a “disaster.”
The technology magnate additionally mocked the Trump government regarding the Epstein matter, following
his allegation last month
That Trump is mentioned in the documents of the discredited financier. A memorandum from the Department of Justice and FBI concluded that there is no “client list.”
Both individuals indicated earlier than a month ago that they could potentially move past their public disagreement, yet their conflict reignited recently when Musk pledged support for alternative candidates opposing Republican lawmakers who backed the major bill—and their ongoing debate appears far from ending.
“This could be more challenging for Republicans compared to Donald Trump,” stated Brian Seichtik, a Republican strategist and former member of the Trump campaign.
Elon Musk’s capacity to harm Donald Trump seems more like exaggeration than truth,” he added. “If Musk chooses to use his significant resources to undermine Republicans in the mid-term elections or upcoming contests is actually the key issue here.
Musk revealed during the weekend that he plans to establish a new political group.
after polling users
on the social media site X, which he controls, on
whether they wanted
freedom from the two-party (some might call it a one-party) system!
“Regarding draining our nation through wastefulness and corruption, we’re operating under a single-party system rather than a true democracy,” Musk said.
wrote in a post
on X.
Currently, the American Party has been established to return your liberty.
The action angered Trump, who took issue with the technology magnate on his Truth Social site, claiming that forming a new political group was pointless and called Musk “out of control.”
He even desires to establish a Third Political Party, although they have never achieved success in the United States—The System appears not to be structured for their benefit,
Trump wrote
Third parties are useful only when they bring about Full and Utter Disruption & Chaos, which we’ve had plenty of from the Extreme Progressive Democrats, who have lost their way and their sense!
Musk needled the president further on social media, insinuating the Trump administration was doing little over the Epstein case. His post came after the release of a memo from the Justice Department and FBI that
found no evidence
Epstein maintained a “client list” with no further fees anticipated.
What time is it? Oh, look, it’s another ‘no one has been arrested’ o’clock…
wrote Musk on X
, including an image that stated “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Count” with multiple zeros beneath it.
When asked generally about criticisms surrounding the case on Monday, White House press spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the administration “wants every person who has ever committed a crime to face consequences.”
Musk’s social media updates are part of an ongoing conflict he has revived with Trump in recent weeks, mainly concerning a significant Republican policy bill. He promised to back Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who chose not to vote for the measure, and initiate primary contests against Republicans who supported it.
Following an announcement earlier this year that he would
take a step away from political expenditures
, Musk’s
primary threats
present a test for the president and his supporters before the midterm elections. He invested no less than $250 million via his America PAC towards Trump’s victory in the 2024 election.
On the other hand, the massive bill also highlighted the constraints on Musk’s political influence, according to GOP strategist Alex Conant.
“Musk invested heavily in the elections last year, and he’s warning that he’ll pour a large amount of funds into future elections. He’s still hoping for some major policy successes,” Conant stated.
Musk may encounter difficulties in establishing a new political group.
“It’s extremely challenging to launch a political party in this nation. You require a foundation for a party, and I’m unsure what the foundation of an ‘American Party’ would be,” Conant stated.
Recent polling ahead of the November vote indicates that although backing for a third-party candidate has slightly declined, a significant portion of Americans continue to support such options despite concerns about their chances of success in the elections.
A Gallup survey published at the end of October
Fifty-eight percent of participants indicated the necessity of a third party, a decrease from 63 percent in 2023.
However, independent candidates have faced significant challenges within the present framework.
“At the end of the day, regardless of your opinion on Musk, he isn’t foolish. At some point, he will realize that launching a new political party is incredibly challenging—not only due to his lack of popularity but also because of the structural elements of the U.S. political system that have maintained the dominance of the two major parties since the 1850s,” stated John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College in California, adding that Musk’s…
favorability rating has dropped
amid the Trump fallout.
Meanwhile, Trump has kept the possibility open for expelling the South African-born American citizen and indicated that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) might be used against the technology magnate’s businesses.
These changes represent a significant shift from early this year, when the president commended the large reductions in the federal workforce through DOGE and presented Musk with a golden key to the White House in May as appreciation for the technology entrepreneur’s contributions. While serving with DOGE, Musk maintained an office within the White House grounds, stayed overnight in the Lincoln Bedroom, and gained attention during cabinet meetings although he was not part of the official cabinet.
A clash with Trump was unavoidable. You can’t have two leaders at the top,” Pitney stated. “If there’s one thing they share, it’s that neither of them tends to let things go easily.
A representative for Musk did not respond to a request for comment.
Several legislators have expressed their desire for the two individuals to reconcile. Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) shared an AI-generated video showing Trump and Musk moving in unison.
“Who else misses this feeling?” Lee
wrote on X
.
Other lawmakers
suggested they cared more
more focused on Trump’s endorsement compared to Musk’s, and they were overlooking the Tesla chief.
Nevertheless, certain Republicans are cautioning not to dismiss Musk completely, arguing that his behavior might affect the Republican Party.
“If Musk decides to invest in targeting certain established candidates—particularly senators and congressional representatives in crucial districts—it might affect the Republicans’ prospects in those contests—and it depends on how this political party is structured, along with the issues it focuses on and the resources available to these parties—there’s definitely potential for them to erode some support from Republican voters, particularly in tightly contested elections,” Seitchik stated.
Mike Madrid, a Republican strategist who opposes Trump, pointed out that Musk possesses significant worldwide reach through his Starlink satellite internet service and immense financial resources.
“No one in the world can engage in international diplomacy alone as effectively as Elon Musk does,” Madrid stated.
However, Madrid, one of the founders of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, stated that it remained uncertain what Musk’s political party would advocate for.
“The distinction between this situation and the Lincoln Project breakaway, for instance, which involved ideological differences, is that this is merely a conflict over personal authority,” he stated.
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