U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at Elon Musk following the billionaire’s surprise announcement of a new political party, deepening a bitter feud between the two former allies who once appeared inseparable in Washington’s corridors of power.
Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One on Sunday, Trump dismissed Musk’s newly proposed “America Party” as a distraction and a threat to the nation’s traditional two-party system.
“I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump said. “It’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. Third parties have never worked. So he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter), announced Saturday that he would create the “America Party” to challenge what he called the U.S. “one-party system.” In a series of posts on X, Musk criticized both Republicans and Democrats for supporting what he termed “irresponsible domestic spending,” claiming that Trump’s latest budget plan would dangerously inflate the national debt.
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk wrote.
Musk, who once served as head of the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), became known for aggressive cost-cutting measures during his time in Trump’s administration. However, the two men fell out following Musk’s vocal opposition to the president’s “big beautiful” tax-and-spend mega-bill, which Musk said was fiscally disastrous.
Reacting to Musk’s criticism, Trump didn’t hold back. Posting from aboard Air Force One on Truth Social, the former president said:
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. 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.”
In the post, Trump reiterated his belief that Musk’s motivations were driven by self-interest, accusing him of turning on the administration after government subsidies for electric vehicles were slashed in the new spending plan.
Musk, for his part, has denied the claim, insisting that his opposition stems from concerns over the country’s growing debt and lack of political accountability.
Adding fuel to the fire, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNN earlier on Sunday that Musk would do better to focus on his business ventures.
“I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone,” Bessent said. “So I imagine that those board members did not like this announcement and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.”
Musk stepped down from DOGE in May to concentrate on his corporate responsibilities after criticism that his involvement in government was hurting Tesla’s brand and bottom line. His exit was marked by an unusual Oval Office ceremony where Trump presented him with a symbolic “golden key to the White House”—a moment now soured by the public unraveling of their relationship.
When pressed by reporters on Sunday about whether Musk would be asked to return the ceremonial key, Trump declined to comment.
As speculation swirls over the potential impact of Musk’s “America Party” on the 2026 midterms and beyond, political analysts say the move could splinter conservative voters and create new headaches for the GOP.
While Musk has yet to provide details or formally register the new party with electoral authorities, his entrance into the political arena as an independent force marks a dramatic new chapter in the 2025 political landscape.
The once-powerful alliance between Trump and Musk—once viewed as a symbol of public-private synergy—is now fractured, with both men seemingly committed to undermining the other in what promises to be an explosive prelude to the next election cycle.
