Trump: Musk Off the Rails, New Political Party Ridiculous

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump called Elon Musk’s decision to start and bankroll a new US political party “ridiculous” on Sunday.

“Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it but I think it’s ridiculous,” the president told reporters traveling with him back to the White House from his New Jersey golf club.

He then elaborated, at great length, in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” the president wrote.

“He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States”.

Trump accused Elon Musk of creating “disruption and chaos” through third-party politics and claimed Musk was upset over plans to cut EV subsidies. He also alleged Musk sought improper influence by pushing for his friend Jared Isaacman to lead NASA—an appointment later withdrawn due to perceived conflicts of interest.

Earlier Sunday, Trump’s treasury secretary urged Musk to focus on his businesses and stay out of politics after he announced a new political party.

Scott Bessent told CNN that while Musk’s “department of government efficiency” was popular, polling showed Musk himself was not.

Opinion polls showed Doge and Musk’s federal spending cuts were unpopular, and investors in Musk’s companies, like Tesla, wanted him to leave the Trump administration quickly. Bessent noted company boards likely urged Musk to return to business and disapproved of his new political venture.

Bessent’s reaction came after Musk delivered on his promise to form a new party, and accused his one-time ally Trump of “bankrupting” the country by signing his massive tax and spending bill into law.

The tech billionaire announced the creation of the America party in a series of posts late on Saturday and early Sunday to X, the social media platform he owns.

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” he wrote.

“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

 On Friday, as Trump signed a bill into law during a Fourth of July White House picnic, Musk launched a poll on X asking if people wanted independence from the two-party system, with respondents voting two-to-one in favor.

Musk offered few details about his new political venture but indicated it would target two or three Senate seats and eight to ten House districts, aiming to hold the balance of power in a narrowly Republican-controlled Congress to influence key legislation.

Bessent was one Trump ally to quickly take a swipe at Musk’s move.

Musk’s series of posts to X, which continued into the early hours of Sunday, also appeared to indicate that his on-again, off-again relationship with Trump was firmly back in negative territory.

In response to Musk’s posts calling the bill “insane”, Trump said he might “look into” deporting the South African-born, naturalized US citizen billionaire. The president also mused about slashing subsidies to his companies, especially SpaceX, which holds billions of dollars in government contracts.

“Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?” Trump asked reporters on Tuesday.

There is no requirement for new political parties in the US to register with the Federal Election Commission [FEC] initially, but reporting regulations kick in once spending surpasses what the FEC calls “certain thresholds”.

Musk is estimated to have spent more than $275m of his personal fortune helping to get Trump elected to a second term in the White House in last November’s presidential election.