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Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang ahead of the Democratic presidential debate in Houston on Sept. 12, 2019. Win McNamee/Getty Images
Elon Musk’s newly announced America Party has received an early endorsement from Andrew Yang, the tech entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential candidate who has himself championed efforts to break America’s entrenched two-party political system.
Yang, founder of the independent Forward Party, revealed in a July 7 interview with Politico that he has been “in touch” with Musk and his team to discuss the tech mogul’s fledgling third-party movement.
“I’m excited for anyone who wants to move on from the duopoly,” Yang told the outlet. “And I’m happy to help give someone a sense of what the path looks like.”
Yang later took to Musk’s social media platform X to publicly signal his support. “If it breaks the duopoly I’m all for it,” he wrote, while also sharing a Forward Party post encouraging new political movements to offer voters more choice.
“We welcome the growing realization that the two-party system isn’t working and that the majority of Americans want more choices and more accountability,” the Forward Party statement reads, saying that independent political movements that begin “from the top down” have struggled to endure but those that are based on grassroots momentum tend to have a lasting impact.
Musk, who commands an enormous following on X, has leaned into the grassroots ethos by first putting the idea of launching a third political party to a vote among his tens of millions of users.
On July 4, he posted a poll asking whether Americans wanted independence from what he described as the “two-party (some would say uniparty) system” and whether he should establish the America Party. More than 65 percent of respondents backed the proposal, prompting Musk to declare the party’s formation the following day, calling it an effort “to give you back your freedom.”
Since then, Musk has outlined an initial strategy for the America Party focused on winning a handful of key congressional races to deny either Republicans or Democrats an outright majority. “One way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” he wrote on X, arguing that such a bloc could serve as a powerful swing vote to ensure that laws “serve the true will of the people.”
While Musk’s political plans have won a nod of approval from Yang, they have also drawn skepticism. President Donald Trump, who once worked closely with Musk in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) effort to identify wasteful federal spending, has dismissed the idea of a viable third party, calling Musk “off the rails” and warning that independent bids typically result in “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”
Critics have highlighted the formidable challenges facing any new party, including securing ballot access in all 50 states and building sufficient infrastructure to compete nationally. Musk, born in South Africa, is constitutionally barred from running for president himself, leaving open questions about who would lead the party or appear on the ballot.
Yang was born in Schenectady, New York.
Although Musk has yet to publish a formal platform, his recent public comments suggest that the America Party would prioritize reducing government spending and addressing the national debt.
The party’s name also echoes Musk’s existing political organization, America PAC, which he launched last year to support candidates aligned with what he describes as “the core values of America,” including secure borders, fiscal responsibility, safe cities, a fair justice system, self-defense rights, and free speech.
It remains to be seen whether Musk’s America Party will transform into a durable political force or join the long list of third-party efforts that have struggled to gain traction. For now, his high-profile entry into the political arena has revived debates over the limitations of America’s two-party system.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
