Former U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at Elon Musk’s plan to launch a new political party, calling the idea “ridiculous” and accusing the billionaire of going “off the rails.”
Trump’s comments, made on Sunday before boarding Air Force One from his New Jersey golf club, further escalate tensions between the two once-close allies.
“I think starting a third party is ridiculous,” Trump told reporters. “America has always operated on a two-party system. Third parties only create confusion and have never worked. He can try it, but it’s not going anywhere.”
Musk announced plans on Saturday to create the “America Party” as a challenge to what he described as a “one-party system” in the U.S., blaming both Republicans and Democrats for the nation’s rising debt and government waste.
Trump responded sharply on his Truth Social platform, describing Musk as a “train wreck” and claiming the billionaire’s shift into politics had been a disaster over the past few weeks.
“The only thing third parties do is bring disruption and chaos,” Trump wrote. “And we already have enough of that from the Radical Left.”
The fallout appears tied to disagreements over Trump’s massive tax and spending bill, which Musk publicly opposed, claiming it would worsen the country’s debt crisis. Musk said he plans to campaign against lawmakers who supported the legislation.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also weighed in, suggesting Musk should return his focus to business rather than politics. “I’m sure the boards of his companies would prefer he concentrate on his businesses, where he truly excels,” Bessent said in a CNN interview.
Musk, who once served as head of the now-disbanded Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), left the role in May to refocus on Tesla and his other ventures. His brief political stint, however, appears to have left a lasting rift between him and Trump.
The two had a public falling-out shortly after Musk criticized Trump’s economic policies. Their feud marks a dramatic turn in what was once a closely aligned partnership.
When asked whether he would demand the return of the symbolic golden key he had once given Musk during a farewell ceremony, Trump declined to comment.
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