On July 4, when the US was celebrating Independence Day, the US Senate passed President Trump’s ambitious “big, beautiful bill,” with Vice President JD Vance having to break a 50–50 tie.
On the very day the bill was passed, Musk, on his social media platform X, posted a poll asking users if the ‘America Party’ should be formed.
The Tesla boss posted, “Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system!”
Around 65% of users clicked “yes.” That sealed the deal.
And so, Musk fulfilled the promise he made on July 1. He had vowed to form the America Party if the tax bill passed, arguing that the country needs an alternative to the “Democrat-Republican uniparty.”
No other details about the party followed. Just a plan on how to fight the fight.
“One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” he said.
“Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,” he added.
On July 6, he announced: “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
He referred to the legacy of Epaminondas, the Greek general credited with ending the “myth of Spartan invincibility” at the Battle of Leuctra. That’s how he planned to win the battle.
“Extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield,” he said.
Later that same day, a Federal Election Commission (FEC) document began making the rounds on social media, revealing that Musk had registered the America Party with the FEC.
Trump, who had largely remained silent on the whole “new political party” matter, said on Monday on his microblogging platform that he is “saddened” to watch Musk go completely “off the rails” in recent weeks.
“He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States — The System seems not designed for them,” Trump said.
Genuine concern or not, his statement does contain some truth. Historically, third-party movements in the US have struggled to gain real traction, according to the Times of India. One of the most notable cases was Texas billionaire industrialist Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential bid; he secured almost 19% of the popular vote but failed to win a single Electoral College vote.
Musk hasn’t promised or even suggested that he wants his ‘America Party’ to become a major party, at least not as of now. Just change. And enough power to “give you back your freedom”.
