Musk's "American Party" rises: the torn United States needs a third voice

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On July 5, 2025, Musk announced the establishment of the "America Party" on social media, just 24 hours after Trump signed the "Big and Beautiful" bill. This political earthquake not only exposed the deep crisis in American politics, but also foreshadowed the complete despair of centrist voters for the polarization of the two parties.

Musk's resistance is not accidental. As the world's richest man, he is well aware of the devastating blow of the bill to the technology industry:

Electric vehicle subsidies cancelled: Tesla loses more than $1.2 billion in tax benefits each year;

Clean energy tax reform: wind power project tax rates increased by 30%, SpaceX's satellite launch costs soared;

Debt ceiling soared: $5 trillion in new debt was called "countdown to national bankruptcy" by Musk.

But the more fundamental conflict lies in the concept. Musk advocates "technocratic governance", while Trump's "America First" has degenerated into "fossil fuel first" and "tariff first". The two also have sharp differences in immigration policy: Musk supports technical immigration, but Trump plans to expel 2 million "low-skilled workers".

According to Musk's founding manifesto, the "American Party" will focus on four major issues:

Fiscal conservatism: requiring the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to audit every expenditure;

Technology-friendly: retaining electric vehicle subsidies, investing in AI and space exploration;

Social inclusion: supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage and opposing "cultural wars";

Immigration reform: opening up a "green channel" for technical talents.

Although the establishment of the party faces legal obstacles (such as presidential candidates must be born in the country), Musk has quickly gathered "80% of centrists" with his $390 billion fortune and 220 million social media fans. Online voting shows that more than 5.6 million Americans support the new party, of which 63% are voters under the age of 30.

The Democratic Party quickly smelled the opportunity. Senator Elizabeth Warren said: "The American Party is a wake-up call for the Republicans." The Republicans are in a dilemma: suppressing Musk may lose donations from the technology industry, and compromise means betraying the conservative base.

The more far-reaching impact lies in the election rules. The "winner-takes-all" system in the United States has always suppressed third parties, but Musk is trying to break through:

Fund offensive: promised to pay $1 billion out of his own pocket for the 2026 midterm elections;

Technology empowerment: using the X platform (formerly Twitter) to build a "direct democracy" system to allow voters to vote in real time to decide the party platform;

Transnational linkage: The EU hinted that it would give Tesla tax incentives in exchange for the "American Party" to support the transatlantic trade agreement.

In Ohio, the words of steelworker Old Tom represent the voice of many people: "The Democrats want to control my sex life, the Republicans want to take away my health insurance, and now Musk says he can do both the economy and freedom at the same time - I'm willing to try." This sentiment is particularly evident in "red states": 28% of Republican voters in Texas said they would consider cross-party voting.

The rise of the "American Party" is not only the product of Musk's personal grievances with Trump, but also the inevitable result of the failure of the American political system. When both parties have become spokespersons for special interest groups, the anger of the centrists is rewriting the rules of the game. It is still unclear whether this experiment will succeed, but it has sent a clear signal to Washington: no reform, then revolution.