Musk says he launches new political party to break 'two party system': media

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is now seeking advice from his followers on social media X that "When & where should we hold the inaugural American Party congress? This will be super fun!" after his announcement on Saturday that "the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."

"Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system," Musk wrote in the post announcing a poll he launched earlier in the week that showed strong support for a new political force. More than 65 percent of the 1.2 million respondents backed the idea.

Responding to the results 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."

Musk also wrote on his X post that "One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts."

The move follows the passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, which cuts electric vehicle incentives and increases federal spending. These are measures that Musk, whose company Tesla benefits from EV subsidies, has opposed, Xinhua reported.

Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday that "Musk and President Trump have now split due to deeper conflicts over industrial interests, and the core clash lies in their policy differences. Musk vehemently opposes Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, which prioritizes protecting the US' traditional fossil fuel industries, whereas Musk seeks to solidify his standing in the industrial sector by riding the wave of new energy.

If Musk chooses to get involved in any competitive congressional races in 2026, it could make a significant difference in a close contest, CNBC News reported.

There was no immediate comment from US President Donald Trump or the White House on Musk's announcement, according to multiple media reports. 

From a legal standpoint, Musk is ineligible to run for president, but there are no barriers under US law to him forming a new political party, Lü noted. Given his financial resources, he could swiftly establish a national party. Musk's objective is clear - while he may not yet be eyeing the 2028 presidential election, the 2026 midterms are just around the corner. If his new party fully commits to the race, even securing just two Senate seats and 10 House seats could position it as a decisive minority capable of tipping the balance of power. 

In the short term, his goal aims at weakening the influence of Republican Party in next year's midterms. His long-term ambition, however, aims at reshaping the US' two-party system, as he views the current political structure not only incapable of addressing national crises but also exacerbating social inequality and moral decline, Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

"While US law poses no barriers to forming a new party, the real challenge lies in operationalizing it, and how to leverage political influence within the constraints of a two-party system and produce tangible impact," Li stressed.

It's unclear to what extent Musk has taken steps to legally form the party, which would be required to register with the Federal Election Commission. The most recent FEC filings showed no indication that has happened, according to CNN.

Expert noted that if Musk's plan gains traction, it would heighten the uncertainty of the 2026 midterms but it is unlikely to fundamentally disrupt the two-party system. After a century of development, both Republicans and Democrats maintain overwhelming advantages in public mobilization, organizational infrastructure and resource consolidation, Li noted.

Consequently, Musk's party is more likely to serve as a "balancer" by leveraging influence in closely contested races rather than replacing either establishment party, expert noted. For Americans who feel politically homeless in the current system, this new force may offer an alternative identity and choice. Yet it is crucial to recognize that politics remains an arena of hard-nosed calculations and entrenched systems cannot be uprooted by idealism alone, Li said.