NEED TO KNOW
- Elon Musk is starting his own political party in response to Congress passing Trump’s domestic policy bill
- Musk announced the news on Saturday, July 5, writing on X: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom”
- Musk, a former adviser to Trump, left his position in the administration after disagreeing with the president on the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” Trump’s spending plan
Elon Musk is starting his own political party.
On Saturday, July 5, the Tesla founder and former adviser to President Donald Trump announced on X that he has formed the America Party. The announcement came one day after Musk, 54, posted a poll on the platform with the message, “Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! Should we create the America Party?”
The poll — which garnered more than 1.2 million votes — resulted in 65.4% of respondents voting “yes.”
He followed up with another X post on Saturday announcing the launch of the America party.
“By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!” 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.”
Also on Saturday, Musk reshared a meme featuring an image of a two-headed snake with the caption, “End the Uniparty.” In response, Musk wrote simply, “Yes.”
On Monday, June 30, Musk vowed that if the Republican-controlled Congress passed Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” — which the Tesla CEO has repeatedly slammed — he would form and fund the “America Party” in an effort to oust GOP lawmakers.
“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” he wrote in a post on X. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”
Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty
Musk previously floated the idea of forming a third party earlier in the month. On June 5, the billionaire posted a poll on X, posing the question, “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
As one of the most powerful advisers to Trump at the start of his term, Musk was tasked with leading the controversial Department of Government Efficiency, which dramatically slimmed the federal workforce and shuttered government agencies.
ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty
Musk’s once bro-ey relationship with Trump blew up in flames almost immediately after Musk left the administration on May 30, as the tech billionaire slammed the legislation as a reversal of his efforts to slash government spending.
The two men then began hurling insults at each other via social media on June 5, and have had a soured relationship since then.
