Elon Musk may have proposed the America Party as a rival to the United States’ two main political parties, but those familiar with the tech billionaire say his threat was only an act of rebellion against President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.
After his fallout with Trump and departure from the White House, Musk is transitioning back to focusing on his various companies and finding firmer footing in the political sphere.
Part of his journey to cementing himself in politics included pitching the idea of an alternative party to Republicans or Democrats.
At first, the idea rattled some who believe Musk’s deep pockets and influence on the public could be enough to shake up the 2026 midterm elections. As the wealthiest person in the world, Musk has enough resources to push candidates forward – as he did for Trump during the presidential election.
But nearly a month after promising to form the party, Musk has not filed any official paperwork.
Tesla investor James Fishback told Axios he believes Musk was just trying to “blow off steam” after his heated fallout with Trump.
"I look at the half-life of how this guy operates," Fishback told the news outlet last week. "It has been 17 days since he said he was going to start the America Party. There's no filing, no candidate. There's nothing of substance."
That’s compared to Musk’s eagerness to implement ideas swiftly. For example, pushing to have Tesla Robotaxis, or self-driving taxis, roll out in Austin, Texas, or adding his X artificial intelligence system, Grok, implemented in Tesla vehicles.
Even while working in the White House, Musk was quick to begin installing his Department of Government Efficiency Team in federal agencies and departments in order to make sweeping cuts. Much of the criticism from Democrats about his actions was that decisions were made too quickly.
However, he does not appear to be taking that same fast and hard approach to officially forming the America Party.
Musk’s motivation behind publicly declaring his desire to create a new political party arose from his bitter feud with Trump. While tensions between the two appear to have simmered for now, at one point, Trump and Musk traded jabs at one another online.
Trump threatened to pull Musk’s various lucrative government contracts, while Musk took credit for helping elect Trump with his financial backing.
The only official political group formed under Musk is the America PAC, which Musk bankrolled to support Trump’s campaign.
Even after Trump was elected, Musk used the America PAC to provide support for the Republican candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Despite Musk’s efforts, the liberal candidate won.
It’s unclear if Musk will officially form the America Party, which would require filing with the Federal Election Commission. But even if he doesn’t, Musk could still use his influence and wealth through his PAC to bolster candidates.
