Donald Trump has publicly slammed Elon Musk’s decision to form a new political party, the “America Party,” calling it “ridiculous” and a recipe for “disruption & chaos.” The former president, speaking to reporters and in a lengthy Truth Social post, expressed his dismay at Musk, stating he’s gone “completely ‘off the rails’” and is a “TRAIN WRECK.”
Trump argued that third parties in the US have historically failed and accused Musk of being motivated by personal grievances, specifically his plan to end electric vehicle subsidies. He also brought up an alleged attempt by Musk to influence the nomination of his friend, Jared Isaacman, to be NASA administrator, deeming it “inappropriate” given Musk’s space business interests.
Adding to the criticism, Trump’s Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, urged Musk to focus on his companies rather than politics. Bessent highlighted the unpopularity of Musk’s previous role heading the “Department of Government Efficiency” (Doge) within the Trump administration, which involved significant spending and job cuts. He suggested that the boards of directors at Musk’s companies would likely pressure him to prioritize his business ventures.
Musk, who temporarily served in the Trump administration to cut federal spending, has been a vocal critic of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a tax and spending law that the Congressional Budget Office projects will increase the national deficit by $3.3 trillion. Musk announced the formation of the America Party on X, stating it would provide independence from the current two-party system, which he believes leads to “waste & graft.” He suggested the new party would initially focus on winning a few Senate and House seats to act as a decisive vote on legislation.
The clash between Trump and Musk has escalated since Musk left the government in May. Their relationship, which has been on-again, off-again, took a turn for the worse when Musk criticized the cost and impact of Trump’s recent bill. This led to Trump musing about deporting the South African-born billionaire and cutting subsidies to his companies. Musk, in turn, has reposted content questioning the justice system regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s associates and expressed confidence that breaking the two-party stronghold in US politics would “not be hard.”