Trump Says Musk Has Gone ‘Off the Rails’ Following 3rd Party Plan

President Donald Trump suggested that Elon Musk’s plan to form a third political party is bound to fail due to the two-party system.

President Donald Trump, joined by Tesla CEO Elon Musk (L), speaks to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

President Donald Trump has criticized Elon Musk’s plan to form a third political party, saying the Tesla CEO has gone “off the rails” following the passage of the sweeping spending bill that Musk has publicly opposed.

“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump stated in a Truth Social post on July 6.

“He even wants to start a third political party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States—the system seems not designed for them,” he wrote.

Musk had previously helped the Trump administration in efforts to eliminate fraud and waste within the federal government, serving as a special government employee in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) until his mandate ended in late May.

On July 5, the SpaceX CEO announced plans to form a new political party called the America Party, following a fallout with the Republican president over the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law by Trump on July 4.

Speaking to reporters on July 6, Trump called the move ridiculous, citing the country’s entrenched two-party system, in which the electoral system is dominated by the Republican and Democratic parties.

“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,” he said before boarding Air Force One.

Trump suggested that Musk’s plan to form a third political party is bound to fail due to the two-party system. “Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous,” he said.

In his social media post, Trump said Musk was upset because the sweeping spending bill, which he signed into law on July 4, terminated federal subsidies for electric vehicles.

Musk has responded to Trump’s social media post on X, stating: “What the heck was the point of @DOGE if he’s just going to increase the debt by $5 trillion??”

The tech billionaire said the bill fails to adequately reduce spending, citing the Congressional Budget Office’s projections that the bill will add to the deficit.

Musk said he plans to keep the dominant Republican and Democratic parties from gaining a majority in Congress. He did not discuss putting forward a presidential candidate for the party, seeming to focus his attention on Congress.

“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 wrote in a post on July 4.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signaled that Musk would not gain much support and that he may face pressure from his own companies to stay away from politics.

“The principles of DOGE were very popular. I think, if you look at the polling, Elon was not,” Bessent told CNN. “I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone. So I imagine those boards of directors did not like his announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.”

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.