With the launch of his new political party, the eccentric billionaire’s political career has come full circle. After sitting down with former president Barack Obama and backing Donald Trump all the way to his victory, which Musk thinks would have been impossible without his help, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO now believes his leadership is best for America.
Musk made this decision like he makes most others: through a poll on his social media website, X. Fuming after Trump signed his ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ into law, Musk asked his 221.8 million followers, “Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!” About a third of the responses came out in favour.
The following day, Musk announced the formation of the America Party—to give Americans their “freedom back.”
Before he starts his solo political career, let’s take a look at his dalliances on both sides of the aisle.
Democrat support
Musk supported Obama vocally and financially (albeit not as flashily as Trump) through both his presidential campaigns, contributing in July 2008 and again for his re-election bid. Obama also visited SpaceX’s launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2010.
In 2016, Musk gave Hillary Clinton a lukewarm endorsement, which he said may not make much of a difference. His interests aligned with hers, especially on environmental policies and clean energy.
In 2020, he also backed Joe Biden, stating in multiple interviews that he would vote for him even though he was not the biggest fan. However, reports emerged later that Musk did not vote at all in the 2020 general election, as he was not big on Biden or Trump.
The relationship between the last Democratic president and Musk soured when Tesla was excluded from a White House EV summit.
Major democratic ideas like universal basic income, an inclusive tax rate (which means a combined tax rate on income and capital gains that Musk found fair and efficient), and science- and immigration-related policies earned the support of the billionaire.
Shift to the red
In 2022, two years into Biden’s election, Musk stated he could no longer support the Blue Party, terming it a “party of division and hate.”
After that, there was no looking back. In July 2024, after an assassination attempt on Trump, Musk publicly endorsed him at a public rally in Pennsylvania.
He became the largest political donor, pumping in over $250 million, according to reports, through a pro-Trump super PAC called America PAC.
Musk appeared and spoke at multiple rallies, wearing the flagship “Make America Great Again” merchandise, asking voters to bring Trump back if they wanted to preserve democracy. He single-handedly drove the entire conversation on X among his followers in favour of Trump.
To reward Musk and his ideas about heightened wasteful government spending, Trump gave him a haven in the White House. Musk headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a temporary organisation to streamline internal operations, as a special government employee.
Through DOGE, Musk led significant government restructuring, layoffs, and regulatory changes, much to the detriment of his own companies, especially Tesla.
In May 2025, Musk announced on X that his time as a government employee came to an end, soon after which his relationship with Trump dived, especially over the tax-and-spending bill. Musk said the bill undid most of what he aimed to achieve through DOGE.
What followed was a series of jabs exchanged between the richest man in the world and the president of the most powerful country in the world.
Musk striking out on his own means a significant disruption for American politics, which has long seen a two-party system. To this announcement, Trump said Musk has finally “gone off the rails,” and this attempt will end in disgrace.
The billionaire is hoping to establish fiscal conservatism with his party to take forward the ideals of DOGE.
