Elon Musk Officially Launches ‘America Party’ to Challenge Trump, Announces 2028 Presidential Run

In a move that has stunned political observers and disrupted the current Republican stronghold, tech billionaire Elon Musk has officially declared the formation of a new political force in the United States: the “America Party.” With this announcement, Musk has also confirmed his intention to run for president in the 2028 election, directly positioning himself as a rival to President Donald Trump, whose political machine remains dominant in the GOP.

The announcement follows a weeks-long feud between Musk and Trump, fueled by policy disagreements, personal insults, and increasingly sharp political divergence.

The formation of the America Party comes just days after President Trump signed into law his sweeping new tax and spending legislation, dubbed the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Musk, once a close ally of the president, publicly opposed the bill, calling it “a disgusting abomination” and “a massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill” that would balloon the federal deficit by $2.5 trillion.

The legislation has drawn fire from some fiscal conservatives and civil rights groups for its combination of major tax cuts for wealthy Americans, deep cuts to public assistance programs such as Medicaid and SNAP, and expanded funding for defense and immigration enforcement.

Yet it sailed through Congress with a tie-breaking vote by Vice President JD Vance in the Senate and strong Republican support in the House.

Amid this legislative firestorm, Musk took to his social media platform X, where he conducted a poll among his 221.7 million followers, asking if he should form a new political party. The response was decisive—65 percent voted yes. “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it,” Musk wrote on Saturday.

“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.” He added, “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”

This dramatic political pivot marks the culmination of Musk’s gradual evolution from tech mogul to political actor. Once known as Trump’s “First Buddy,” Musk held influence within the administration and was praised by conservatives for his efforts to slash government bureaucracy. Earlier this year, Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseeing drastic cost-cutting initiatives that included mass layoffs of federal workers, the termination of thousands of government contracts, and the weakening of numerous federal agencies.

His approach was hailed by some as revolutionary and condemned by others as reckless. But it was Trump’s signing of the Big, Beautiful Bill that became the breaking point.

Musk’s rhetorical war with Trump quickly turned personal. After voicing his opposition to the bill, Musk hinted that the president might be implicated in the unreleased Epstein files—a bombshell claim he made publicly on June 6.

“Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files,” Musk posted on X. “That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!” The accusation sent shockwaves through both political and media circles, prompting questions about the authenticity of the documents and Musk’s motivations for making the claim.

Trump, in response, took to Truth Social, labeling Musk as “crazy” and attributing the feud to Musk’s anger over the removal of the electric vehicle mandate. In an even more aggressive turn, the president suggested that Musk could be deported to South Africa, where Musk was born and raised.

“We’re taking a good look at it,” Trump said during a Fourth of July Military Family Picnic. “Nobody gets a free ride.”

Although there was a brief truce on June 11—Musk expressed “regret” for his posts and Trump stated there were “no hard feelings”—the peace was short-lived. On Monday, Musk reignited tensions by announcing that he would personally fund primary challengers against every Republican who supported the bill.

“Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame!” Musk declared. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”

For many insiders, Musk’s move is more than a personal vendetta—it is a calculated political gamble. By forming the America Party, Musk is staking his claim to the massive swath of the electorate disillusioned with both parties. “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” Musk posed on X earlier this year.

His rhetoric echoes the language of political independents who have long criticized the entrenched polarization of the current two-party system. With Trump’s GOP veering further into hard-right populism and the Democrats embracing a progressive platform, Musk believes there is a vacuum in the political center—and he intends to fill it.

However, Musk’s path is riddled with obstacles. Third-party candidates have historically failed to gain traction in American presidential elections due to the structural advantages of the two-party system. Ballot access, campaign financing, and national organization are enormous challenges that even a billionaire like Musk cannot circumvent with ease.

Furthermore, while Musk commands enormous influence in the tech world and on social media, translating that into a nationwide political infrastructure is a different endeavor entirely.

Still, his timing may be strategic. With Trump serving his second term and constitutionally barred from running in 2032, the 2028 race will be the first open presidential election in over a decade. A fractured GOP could leave room for an outsider like Musk to galvanize support, particularly among younger voters, independents, and libertarian-leaning conservatives who are dissatisfied with Trump’s embrace of government expansion.

The early reactions to Musk’s party launch have been mixed. Some conservative commentators view it as a betrayal of Trump and a self-aggrandizing move that will only divide the right and hand power to Democrats. Others, including several prominent figures in the tech industry, have applauded Musk’s decision to challenge the “uniparty” status quo.

“Elon is doing what no politician has the guts to do,” said venture capitalist David Sachs on X. “He’s standing up for the taxpayers, for the future of our children, and for what America used to mean.”

Meanwhile, Democrats have remained relatively quiet, perhaps hoping the Musk-Trump feud will weaken Republican unity ahead of the 2026 midterms. Yet some progressive leaders have warned that Musk’s America Party could present a new kind of threat—one wrapped in technological idealism but grounded in plutocratic control.

“A party led by one of the richest men in history, promising freedom while gutting social services?” tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. “We’ve seen this movie before.”

What remains unclear is whether Musk will field congressional or gubernatorial candidates under the America Party banner before 2028, or whether the party will exist solely as a platform for his presidential bid. Either way, the political ramifications are already being felt across Washington.

Republicans now face a schism between Trump loyalists and Musk allies, while Democrats are weighing how to confront an opponent whose appeal spans across ideological lines.

For now, Elon Musk stands at the center of a political firestorm he helped ignite—an icon of disruption who believes that the future of America lies not in compromise but in revolution. Whether his America Party becomes a legitimate third force or a fleeting protest movement will depend on how the next three years unfold. But one thing is certain: the road to 2028 just got far more unpredictable.