Washington [US], July 8 (ANI): Tech billionaire Elon Musk has escalated his feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, announcing the formation of a new political group called the “America Party” and renewing criticism of Trump’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case, The Hill reported.
The rift deepened after Republicans passed a major policy bill backed by Trump, prompting Musk to vow support for primary challengers against GOP members who voted for it. Trump dismissed Musk’s new party as “ridiculous” and called him a “train wreck,” deriding the effort as doomed to fail.
“He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States — The System seems not designed for them,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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!”
According to The Hill, Musk unveiled the America Party after polling users on his platform X about whether they wanted “independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!” He wrote, “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.”
Musk also reignited controversy over the Epstein investigation, posting a sarcastic jab on X after a Justice Department and FBI memo concluded there was no Epstein “client list.” He wrote, “What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again …” alongside an image titled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter” showing all zeroes.
Asked about criticism surrounding the Epstein case, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable,” The Hill noted.
Republican strategist Brian Seitchik told The Hill, “This is potentially more problematic for Republicans than it is for Donald Trump. Elon Musk’s ability to hurt Donald Trump feels more like hyperbole than reality.” But he warned, “Should Musk decide to spend his vast resources hurting Republicans in the midterm elections or future elections, that’s the real story here.”
Despite previously pledging to pull back on political spending, Musk’s new posture poses a fresh challenge to the GOP ahead of the midterms. He spent at least $250 million through his America PAC to support Trump’s 2024 election bid. GOP strategist Alex Conant observed that Musk is “still waiting for some significant policy wins” despite his financial involvement in past elections.
Experts and strategists remain skeptical of Musk’s third-party ambitions. John Pitney, a professor at Claremont McKenna College, said, “It’s very hard to start a political party in this country. You need a base to have a party, and I don’t know what the base of an ‘America Party’ would look like.” He added, “Eventually he’s going to figure out that starting a third party is extremely difficult.”
The feud marks a major turn in Musk and Trump’s relationship. Trump once praised Musk’s cost-cutting efforts in government and presented him with a gold key to the White House. While serving in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk held an office at the White House and appeared prominently at Cabinet meetings, The Hill reported.
Now, Trump has even hinted at deporting the South African–born U.S. citizen and turning DOGE against Musk’s companies. Pitney remarked, “A conflict with Trump was inevitable. You can’t have two top dogs. If they have one thing in common, it’s that neither of them is a forgive-and-forget kind of guy.” (ANI)
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