Elon Musk has announced he is setting up a new political party after falling out with US President Donald Trump.
The billionaire businessman, 54, revealed on Saturday that he had established the America Party following an online poll on X, formerly Twitter, in which he asked his followers whether he should form a political group.
Announcing the decision, Musk wrote on X on Saturday evening: “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 and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy."
He added: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2025
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. https://t.co/9K8AD04QQN
Musk’s poll on X attracted more than 1.2 million responses.
The move follows a major rift between Musk and Trump, sparked by Musk’s criticism of the president’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which was passed by Republicans in Congress on Thursday after days of heated debate.
The legislation includes sweeping tax cuts for wealthy Americans, significant reductions to welfare programmes such as Medicaid, and the removal of incentives aimed at encouraging Americans to buy electric cars.
Posting on X, Musk previously vowed to launch a new political movement specifically aimed at challenging Republican senators who supported the controversial legislation. He also threatened to put their faces on posters, branding them “liars” and accusing them of “voting to increase America’s debt” by $5 trillion.
The legislation is projected by experts to add an extra $3.4 trillion to the US deficit over the next decade.
In response, Mr Trump threatened to deport Musk and remove federal subsidies from his businesses. Asked by reporters whether he would consider deporting the tech billionaire, who was born in South Africa and has held US citizenship since 2002, the president replied: “We’ll have to take a look.”
Mr Trump added that Musk “may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far” and suggested he might have to “head back home to South Africa.”
As of Saturday, the US Federal Election Commission had not yet published documents showing that Musk’s new party had been formally registered.
