Billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that if Republican-leaning Congress passes President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” he would form a new political party in the United States.
Musk has expressed criticism of the bill on multiple occasions over the past month, and has begun proposing new party ideas on social media since early June.
There are details about mask reservations on the bill and his new proposed political party.
What did Musk say about the American Party?
Musk says Republicans are no different to Democrats if the bill is passed. Democrats are often accused of being deprived of taxpayers of dollars by conservatives.
The version of the bill currently being discussed by the Senate would increase citizen debt by $3.3 trillion between 2025 and 2034 if passed by both Congresses. The current US national debt is over $36 trillion.
“If this insane spending bill passes, the American party will be formed the next day,” Musk posted on social media platform X on Monday.
“Our country needs something to replace Democrat Unipas, just like people actually speak up.”
In a previous post, Musk wrote: “It’s clear in the insane spending of this bill. This will increase the debt cap at the record $5 trillion in which we live in a one-party country. Porky pig party!!!”
The debt cap set by the US Congress determines the maximum amount that the US Treasury can borrow. The current debt limit is $36.1 trillion.
Why does Musk oppose the bill?
Musk, formerly a leading Trump aide and a donor to a major campaign, was made public in June to break away from the president over criticism of the bill.
On June 3rd, Mask wrote to X: “I’m sorry, but I can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a nasty hatred.”
Musk claimed that Trump was tied to disgraceful financier Jeffrey Epstein in X’s now-abolized post. But when Trump and Musk said they wanted Musk, he told reporters on June 11 that he wrote that he was “too far away” to criticize the US president.
But since then, Musk has argued in a series of online posts that the bill would limit debt, “a bankrupt America,” and “destroy millions of jobs in America.”
The mask is owned by Tesla, an electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer. The current version of the bill with amendments made by the Senate is about to end the tax credits for purchases of EVs worth up to $7,500 from September 30th. This could reduce demand for US consumers.
What American Party did Musk propose?
On June 5th, Musk posted a vote on his X account and asked his followers:
Social media polls are known to not represent broader public sentiment, but 5.6 million people voted for the poll, with 80.4% responding with “yes.” Since then, Musk has repeatedly reposted poll results, citing it as evidence that most Americans want to form a new party.
“Musk believes that 80% of Americans are unhappy with the two major parties and are not represented,” Natasha Linstoed, a professor at the Department of Government at the University of Essex, told Al Jazeera.
That number may not reflect the wider American population, but it shows voter trends. A 2024 Gallup poll found 43% of Americans identified as independent, 28% identified as Republicans and 28% identified as Democrats. In other words, more Americans identify as more independent than Democrats and Republicans.
One of the Musk followers responded to X’s post with an image with the text “American Party.” The wealthiest man in the world replied: “The “Party of America” has a great ring to it. A real party that represents America! ”
How realistic is the threat of masks?
Experts say Musk, whose net worth is $363 billion as of Monday, can realistically fund third parties in the US, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. However, it remains to be seen whether he will proceed with his plans or whether his party will have a major impact on the US election.
“Mush certainly has the financial strength to support a third party that is very destructive for Republicans, but I’m not sure if Musk will take on this risk,” Linstost said.
Lindstaedt recalled earlier this month that Musk had retreated from criticism of Trump with X.
“Musk has been bolstering his criticism of the bill recently, and he may find a specific lawmaker. [particularly from the House] Linstostead, referring to the House of Representatives, is willing to be flawed if their districts are more negatively affected by Trump’s policies.
Lindstaedt added that among American voters, third parties have a “huge appetite.”
“This bill leaves us spending hundreds of billions of dollars on the US, and the more Americans understand this, the more they might want to flock to something different.
But Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science at the UCL School of Public Policy in London, said it was unclear whether musk was serious and suggested that the barriers to breaking the Republican democratic double layer would be difficult for anyone to expand.
“This is Elon Musk’s bluff,” he told Al Jazeera. “He knows the power of the party machinery behind Democrats and Republicans is too great.”
Gift added that “gaining a seat in Congress or the White House is a completely different matter” while it is possible to form a party.
“At best, a third party has little effect on US elections. At worst, it plays a ‘spoiler’, votes from one of the two parties, effectively giving it to another party. ”
What did Trump say about Musk?
“Elon Musk knew I was strongly opposed to EV mandate long before he strongly supported me for the president,” Trump told his true social platform on Monday.
Trump added: “Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close his shop and return to South Africa, and there will be no more rocket launches, satellites or electric vehicles production.
“Maybe we should have Doges good, hard work, look at this? A huge saving money!!!” Trump wrote that Musk formed and led the start of Trump’s second administration before leaving May 30, referring to the efficiency of the government, an advisory body aimed at increasing government efficiency and improving information technology upgrades.
