The White House / Flickr (Left), The White House / Flickr
President Donald Trump dismissed Elon Musk’s newly launched “America Party” July 6 as “ridiculous,” saying the effort to form a third political party causes “confusion.”
“I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One. “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 argued that the American political system “really seems to have been developed for two parties,” adding, “Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
The rebuke came just one day after Musk unveiled the “America Party” on social media, taking direct aim at Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
“By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!” Musk announced July 5 on X. “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Shortly after his July 6 comments to reporters, Trump wrote on Truth Social:
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States.”
“The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” he added.
Trump’s dismissal echoed a warning from CNN data analyst Harry Enten, who said a Musk-led third party “makes as much sense as selling sand in the desert.”
According to Enten, a party built around Musk would likely draw support from just 4% of the electorate — voters who like Musk but dislike the Republican Party. He added that 58% of Americans hold an unfavorable view of Musk. Historically, third parties have won only 0.2% of all congressional races.
Musk, who had been relatively quiet following earlier clashes with Trump over the bill, reentered the debate June 30 with a series of posts blasting the bill’s spending levels.
Trump argued Musk opposes the bill because it eliminates electric vehicle (EV) mandates — a move that directly affects Musk’s company, Tesla.
“It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon,” Trump wrote in his July 6 post, “it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time.
Musk vowed to unseat Republicans who supported the bill, writing June 30, “Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!”
“And they will lose their primary next year,” he added, “if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
