Elon Musk, billionaire tech mogul and former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, has threatened to create a new political party if Congress passes a Republican-backed domestic spending bill.
On Monday, Musk took to his social media platform X to announce that he would form the “America Party” and back challengers to nearly every Republican in Congress who support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Highlights
- Elon Musk vowed to form the 'America Party' if the Republican spending bill passes, pledging to back challengers to GOP supporters.
- Musk called the bill an "insane spending bill", labeling current governance a "PORKY PIG PARTY."
- Trump threatened to cut billions in federal contracts and subsidies to Musk’s companies in response to Musk’s opposition to the bill.
- Republican support for the bill is fragile, with key senators opposing it.
Elon Musk has threatened to create a new political party if Donald Trump’s bill is passed
Image credits: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Musk, who has become one of the largest political donors in U.S. history, wrote to his 220 million followers, promising, “If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day.”
“Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE,” he explained further.
Musk had donated more than $275 million to Republican candidates in the 2024 election. Now, he’s called the proposed legislation an “insane spending bill” that would raise the national debt by trillions of dollars.
“It is obvious with the insane spending of this bill, which increases the debt ceiling by a record FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS that we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” he said on X.
In early June, tensions between Musk and Trump boiled over after Musk criticized Trump’s bill, calling it a “pork-filled Congressional spending bill.”
Trump responded on Truth Social by threatening to cut billions in federal subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies, saying it was “the easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars.” This would include Tesla and SpaceX.
Musk then claimed that Trump appears in sealed government documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, escalating their public feud.
More recently, on Monday, Trump doubled down on his threat.
Trump, in turn, threatened to cut billions in Musk’s federal subsidies and contracts
“Elon may get more subsidy than any human being in history, by far, and without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” Trump said on Truth Social.
“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
Musk wrote that nearly the entire House and Senate G.O.P. “will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Soon, he had committed to specific action and said he would support Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Massie has been a major holdout against Trump’s bill.
Several republican senators remain undecided on the bill. Two Republican senators, Thom Tillis and Rand Paul, have already voted against the bill.
Since all Democrats oppose it, Republicans can only afford to lose one more vote if they want the bill to pass. If they do, they won’t have enough votes to win outright and would need Vice President JD Vance to cast the tie-breaking vote.
If more than three Republicans oppose the bill, it won’t pass at all.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska had expressed concerns about the legislation’s impact on her state and delayed her vote while negotiating for state-specific exemptions.
Senators Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming have demanded a vote on an amendment that would slash Medicaid further.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine has also voiced dissatisfaction with the bill’s lack of support for rural health care and plans to introduce an amendment aimed at restoring tax rates for the wealthiest Americans to pre-2017 levels—essentially increasing tax on wealthier people.
The Congressional Budget Office recently estimated that the Senate version of the bill would add about $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade.
Musk called the bill “debt slavery” and accused lawmakers of betraying their promises to reduce government spending.
While Musk has made bold claims before, this is one of his strongest political threats yet.
Just weeks ago, he said he would cut back on political spending, saying he has “done enough.” Now, he’s threatening to use his vast wealth and influence to reshape American politics.
Musk insists that his opposition to the bill isn’t personal.
He says it’s about the future of the country and the economy. He argues that the bill cuts support for future industries like electric vehicles and solar energy, and that it “gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.”
One lost Republican vote can be the deciding factor for the bill
Image credits: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
Trump defended his position on Truth Social, writing: “Elon Musk knew, long before he so strongly Endorsed me for President, that I was strongly against the EV Mandate. It is ridiculous, and was always a major part of my campaign. Electric cars are fine, but not everyone should be forced to own one.”
While Musk has long supported strict immigration enforcement policies aligned with the Trump administration, he has been a critic of the domestic policy.
Back in June, Musk had also polled his X followers about creating a new political party “that actually represents the 80% in the middle.”
At the moment, there’s no official sign that Musk is taking steps to create a formal political party.