Elon Musk has gone “off the rails,” according to the president of the United States. The one-time confidant of and major donor to President Donald Trump appears determined to launch a political third party over anger about fiscal recklessness.
On Saturday, the day after Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), Musk announced he was forming the America Party:
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it! 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’s decision came about after he conducted an X poll on Independence Day asking, “Should we create the America Party?” According to the poll, which claims over 1.2 million votes, 65.4 percent of respondents want a new party, with 34.6 percent opposing the idea.
One supporter said, “America would benefit from having a proper political party that isn’t pledged to plundering the people. A people’s party. Everyone wins. China wins. Russia wins. America wins. Humanity wins.” Leftists also chimed in, including influencer Brian Krassenstein, who said, “Awesome! Where can we see more information?”
But a brief perusal of the comments section suggests that more people oppose the idea of a third party than support it. Some people said the poll was misleading because there weren’t enough responses to draw a conclusion that truly represents consensus. Others suggested the poll included responses from bots, skewing the true majority sentiment.
Republican strategist, author, commentator, and former Richard Nixon aide Roger Stone was among those who opposed the formation of a third party. He echoed the common sentiment that such a move will only empower the Democrats, saying:
I have huge respect for [Elon Musk] and everything he has done for free speech and to ferret out waste fraud and corruption in federal spending, but I would rather see him pursue his efforts at electoral reform within the Republican Party primaries rather than having a new party splitting the vote of sane people and letting the Marxist Democrats gain control again.
Another commenter pointed out Musk’s history of supporting Democrats and suggested he calm down:
You backed Obama twice and Biden once. Instead of creating a new party which will split the right and elect the left, which is what happened when Ross Perot ran as an independent and got Clinton elected, just simmer down until after the midterms and let Trump execute his mandate.
Country music artist John Rich also opposed the idea, saying, “I’d rather see primaries against R’s who aren’t America First with their actions.”
On Sunday, President Trump chimed in with a post on his own social media platform, Truth Social. (He also posted it on Musk’s more popular X platform.) Trump said Musk had gone “completely off the rails.” The president claimed Musk was turning into a “train wreck” because he didn’t get his way, adding that the tech tycoon’s decision to form a third party was a temper-tantrum response to the administration’s policies that eliminated electric-vehicle subsidies and the decision to not appoint a Musk friend to head NASA.
However true or false those claims may be, Musk, for his part, has been consistent in his vehement displeasure with the Big Beautiful Bill over its exorbitant cost. During his time as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), he behaved as someone truly determined to reduce the size of government and get rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse associated with it. The tech innovator went on a government slashing rampage, which resulted in personal financial losses and nationwide protests against him.
He came out against the OBBBA in May, shortly after he officially retired from DOGE. He called it a “disgusting abomination” because it will add significantly to the debt. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the bill will add to the debt at least $3 trillion over a decade, maybe upward of $4.5 trillion. Last week, Musk said he would launch a third party if the “insane bill” passed. On Sunday, he reiterated spending as the main reason for his decision, saying:
The Republican Party has a clean sweep of the executive, legislative and judicial branches and STILL had the nerve to massively increase the size of government, expanding the national debt by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS.
There has been some confusion about whether the America Party has been officially created. The Federal Election Commission does list a filing from Sunday for the America Party (AME). However, Musk himself called it false and said he reported it as such to the FEC.
Nevertheless, as of Monday, July 7, Musk still seemed determined to form a new party. Apparently the platform’s tenets would include reducing the national debt, modernizing the military with artificial intelligence (this is already happening, as evidenced by the text of the OBBBA), reducing regulations, preserving free speech, promoting an increase in national birth rates, and pushing for “centrist policies everywhere else.” Musk also has indicated that the Second Amendment is sacred.
In a tweet on Friday, Musk said the practical strategy will include targeting two or three Senate seats and up to 10 seats in the House of Representatives. He has suggested the party won’t back a presidential candidate now, but said “it is not out of the question.”
Whatever comes next, what America needs most is an electorate knowledgeable about and devoted to the constitutional principles and moral values that made this country the freest, most prosperous in all of history. Trump and Musk undoubtedly harbor some constitutional values, but without pressure from a sufficient portion of voters for far less government and far more personal responsibility, the nation will continue to be plagued by debt, wars, inflation, and cultural degradation.
Since 1958, the parent company of this magazine, The John Birch Society (JBS), has worked to create understanding among the American people about both the threat of globalism and the promise of federalism. That is why it has been one of the most assailed and vilified patriotic organizations in American history.
To truly restore America, the JBS recommends the elimination of every unconstitutional government agency and program. That would include, but is certainly not limited to: the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services (and every single agency under it); the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); every federal policing agency, including the FBI, CIA, and ATF; and every federal welfare program. None of these programs and agencies existed until the 20th century, when America became an empire and its citizens became poorer and less free.
To restore prosperity, Americans must work to eliminate the federal income tax, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Reserve Bank. Congress must pass legislation implementing tariffs as the main source of revenue once again. Also necessary is the restoration of sound money via precious metals.
The United States must also get back to a noninterventionist posture that includes eliminating foreign aid to every single country, pulling back all military presence from around the world, and focusing on being strong enough at home so no other nations pose a legitimate threat.
And last but not least, we must sever ties to international organizations that subversively seek to undermine our sovereignty. It is especially important that the U.S. exit the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
This is the way back to true Americanism.