Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, and former Director of the Department of Government Efficiency, has officially launched the America Party, framing it as a challenge to what he calls a “one-party system” dominated by wasteful government spending.

Musk, who is the world’s richest man, certainly has the capital to start a new party. However, it remains to be seen how successful he will be in challenging the Republican and Democratic Parties, who have molded America’s elections exclusively to their benefit.

While Musk says breaking the two-party stranglehold on elections is “not hard” and has talked about a strategy, he will no doubt discover that going up against the very people who write the nation’s election rules is not as simple as he might think – even with his vast fortune.

First, A Quick Recap of What Happened

The announcement came over the Fourth of July weekend, following a poll that Musk conducted on his social media platform X, which drew more than 1.2 million votes, with 65.4% supporting the creation of a new political party.

Musk drew a historical parallel in explaining his political strategy. Citing Epaminondas, the Greek general credited with ending the “myth of Spartan invincibility” at the Battle of Leuctra, Musk described how he planned to take on America’s entrenched political powers.

“Extremely concentrated force at a precise location on the battlefield,” Musk said.

A Federal Election Commission document saying that Musk had formally registered the America Party with the FEC is being circulated, but Musk denied that the document is connected to him. "This filing is false and has been reported as such to the FEC,” Musk wrote.

Musk first floated the idea of a third party in June while criticizing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump championed. 

“If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day,” Musk wrote. “Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.”

After the bill cleared Congress and Trump signed it into law on July 4, Musk escalated his criticism of lawmakers.

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,” he wrote. “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this earth.” 

He reiterated that the America Party was needed to fight what he called the “Republican/Democrat uniparty.”

Outlining his vision for the party, Musk proposed a focused approach:

One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts. 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 also confirmed the new party’s support for cryptocurrency. When asked by an X user whether the America Party would back Bitcoin, Musk replied: “Fiat is hopeless, so yes.”

President Trump has repeatedly criticized Musk’s efforts. Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, Trump said:

“I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party. We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked. So he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”

Trump elaborated on his Truth Social platform:

“Third parties have a long history of helping the opposition and the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”

“We have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds! Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running ‘machine,’ that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country.”

Conservative commentator Laura Loomer added her own prediction about the America Party’s potential impact:

Political analysts remain skeptical about Musk’s prospects. Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, told CNN:

“Well, certainly it’s possible, particularly for the world’s richest person. However, it is very difficult to do. I don’t think Elon Musk has really looked into the procedures of creating a political party. Those of us who study such things for decades know that you have to be willing to spend an enormous amount of time and money, do careful planning. Will Elon Musk really stick with it?”

The World’s Richest Man Will Have To Overcome America’s Toughest Political Hurdles

Time will tell if Musk remains committed to his America Party.

Independent Voter News recently took a deep dive into how the current system disadvantages candidates outside the two major parties – particularly in presidential elections. However, the issue extends beyond the presidency. 

The rules at every level of elections, from state to federal, are designed to divide voters between two parties and deny them real competition, including with:

• Closed partisan primaries
• Plurality winners
• Gerrymandered districts
• Different and more restrictive rules for independent and third-party candidates
• Tougher ballot access requirements
• Exclusionary and uninformative debates
• Partisan control over election administration

And that just scratches the surface.

10 Ways Both Parties Are Destroying Democracy

Musk posted that breaking the two-party stranglehold is “not hard tbh,” but perhaps Musk should ask the Libertarian Party or the Green Party or the Reform Party or any independent candidate who has considered running for office how easy it really is.

He will learn it takes more than money to build a party – and it is even more challenging finding success in a system that tells parties and candidates outside the two major parties from the start that they are not viable options.

As Musk looks to make his first moves in the 2026 midterms, it remains to be seen how quickly the America Party can build national infrastructure with the election cycle only a few months away.