Musk’s ‘America Party’: Populist Ploy or Political Game-Changer?

On July 4, 2025, the world's richest entrepreneur took to X to suggest a third U.S. political party the so called "America Party" just after Congress passed the sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill." He criticized the bill for a projected $3.3 trillion increase in the national deficit and cuts to essential social programs as a betrayal of both fiscal responsibility and moderates' interests "in the middle.".

A new poll of 1,000 registered voters conducted June 30 - July 2 found that roughly 40 percent would be open to voting for Musk's proposed party: 14 percent were "very likely" to do this, and 26 percent "somewhat likely," whereas 38 percent were unlikely and 22 percent undecided. The poll found strong interest among Republican men (57 percent receptive) and independent men (47 percent receptive), though skepticism was most evident among older and Democratic voters.

Yet U.S. history is also replete with well-funded third-party campaigns that didn't go anywhere, from Ross Perot's 1992 bid to Ralph Nader's 2000 insurgency. Legal experts refer to the daunting maze of 50 state ballot-access laws requiring hundreds of thousands of signatures or vote-share thresholds to qualify, and foresee intense litigation from the two major parties. Musk's plan to "laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts" could provide him with leverage in a narrowly divided Congress, but building an actual national party will take years and hundreds of millions of dollars.