Trump Calls It "Absurd," Criticizes Musk's Derailment
On the afternoon of July 6, local time, U.S. President Trump, when asked about Musk's announcement of the formation of a new political party, the "American Party," stated that Musk "can have some fun with it," but he thinks it is truly "absurd." Later that day, Trump posted on the social platform "Truth Social," expressing regret that Musk has gone completely "off the rails" over the past five weeks and is even thinking of forming a third party in the U.S., which "has never been successful."
Trump also mentioned the recently debated "Big and Beautiful" bill, emphasizing his strong opposition from the start to the electric vehicle mandates set during the Biden administration and highlighting his repeal of this element in the bill. He claims that Musk fully supports his move to end the electric vehicle mandate "without any objection."
Trump further noted that Musk once recommended a close friend to lead NASA, but stated that the friend is a Democrat and has never donated to the Republican Party, therefore found it unsuitable.
Musk Announces the Formation of the "American Party" Opposing the "Big and Beautiful" Bill
On July 5, Musk announced the formation of the "American Party," declaring that it is independent of both the Republican and Democratic parties and would represent "80% of the centrist voters" in the U.S., aiming to secure seats in next year’s mid-term congressional elections. According to Xinhua News Agency, the direct cause for Musk's decision was the official enactment of Trump's heavily promoted "Big and Beautiful" tax and spending bill on July 4.
The bill repealed several provisions established by the Biden administration to reduce energy consumption and eliminated electric vehicle tax credits. For Tesla CEO Musk, this move will have a direct impact on the electric vehicle market. Musk has recently criticized the bill on social media as "extremely crazy and destructive" and threatened to make lawmakers who support it lose in next year's primaries.
Musk wrote in a post: "Every lawmaker who campaigned on cutting government spending but turned and voted for the largest debt increase bill in history should be ashamed. If the last thing I do on this planet is to make them fail in the primaries."
Trump Strikes Back: May Consider Expelling Musk
Facing Musk's public opposition, Trump accused that Musk's dissatisfaction is solely because the bill removed the tax credits for electric vehicles. He also threatened that he "might consider expelling Musk from the country." On social media, Trump stated: "Elon has received more U.S. government subsidies than probably anyone in history, and without them, he would likely have to shut down his business and return to his homeland in South Africa."
The Future of the "American Party" Remains Uncertain
Although Musk announced the formation of the "American Party," under U.S. law, a political party eligible to participate in elections must go through a strict certification process, including holding caucuses, electing interim officers, and officially designating a party name. It is not yet clear whether the "American Party" has initiated these processes.
For a long time, the American political landscape has been dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties, and while there are smaller parties in the U.S., third parties struggle to break through in presidential or congressional elections. There is prevalent skepticism and caution in the American public regarding the "American Party's" future.
