By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The CEO of Tesla, an electric-vehicle manufacturing brand, Elon Musk says he has set up the America Party, positioning it to rival the Republican and Democratic two-party system.
This came after his relations with the US President Donald Trump, crashed, leading to his exit from the administration where he headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Both figures have since engaged in a vicious public spat against each other on the social media space.
While their row lasted, Musk, born in South Africa, posted a poll on X asking users if there should be a new political party in the US.
Referencing that poll in his post on Saturday, Musk wrote: “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
“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.”
It is however not clear if the party has been formally registered with US election authorities.
By virtue of not being a US citizen by birth, Musk is ineligible to run for the country’s presidency.
As of Saturday, the Federal Electoral Commission had not published documents indicating the party had been formally registered.
While there have been high-profile players outside the traditional two-party system in US politics, it is difficult for them to gain strong enough nationwide popularity to pose a real threat.
In the presidential election last year, candidates from the likes of the Libertarian Party, the Green Party and the People’s Party all tried in vain to stop Trump or his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, from winning.
Musk was until recently a core supporter of Trump, following all through the election rallies last year and bringing his four-year-old son to meet Trump in the Oval Office.
He was also Trump’s key financial backer. Musk spent $250m (£187m) to help him regain office.
After the election, he was appointed to lead DOGE, which was tasked with identifying swingeing cuts in the federal budget.
His fallout with Trump began when he left the administration in May and publicly criticised Trump’s tax and spending plans.
The legislation, which Trump has called his “big, beautiful bill” – was narrowly passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump days ago.
Trump had also threatened to have DOGE look into subsidies which favour Musk’s companies, alluding also to the billionaire’s other businesses.
Musk also owns SpaceX, which launches rockets for the US government, and Starlink, which provides satellite service for US and European defence forces.
He has challenged Trump to “cut it all”, in reference to subsidies granted to his company.
