Musk Is Probably Abandoning Plan to Revolutionize Politics

Tesla CEO Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30.
Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Earlier this year, after his high-profile falling-out with Donald Trump, Elon Musk mused about starting his own political third party, a distinct shift after the Tesla CEO poured hundreds of millions of dollars into Republican campaigns and causes.

“Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE,” Musk wrote in June in protest of the impending passage of congressional Republicans’ massive spending package, then dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill.”

But a new report suggests that Musk is already moving away from those quixotic plans. Instead, he will likely do the conventional thing and continue to support the Republican Party in upcoming races. Per The Wall Street Journal, Musk has shown a particular interest in Vice-President J.D. Vance and has stayed in contact with him despite his own public falling-out with Trump. The Tesla CEO is reportedly open to financially backing Vance if he decides to pursue a presidential bid in 2028. Sources close to the billionaire told The Wall Street Journal that Musk is wary of damaging his relationships with Republicans by forming a third party and that he is currently focused on managing his companies, though they noted that Musk might ultimately go ahead with his plans for the America Party as the midterm elections draw closer.

Vance is seen by many as the most likely heir to Trump’s political movement. When asked about who could possibly succeed him, President Donald Trump told reporters it was too early to have that conversation, but acknowledged that Vance has the inside track. “It’s too early, obviously, to talk about it. But certainly he’s doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point,” he said. Last week, Vance said he was “not really focused” on the upcoming 2026 elections, let alone the presidential cycle years away.

During the 2024 political cycle, Musk spent close to $300 million through his America PAC, becoming Trump’s top financial donor and dropping millions in state races including backing a failed campaign for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat. Musk’s once-chummy relationship with Trump dissolved in spectacular fashion after the Tesla CEO left his role in the federal government and the two men traded personal jabs on social media for an entire day. Trump then threw cold water on the idea of Musk’s America Party. “The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!,” he wrote in July.

Musk denied that he was he even considering starting a new party but did not provide further details about his future political plans:

Nothing @WSJ says should ever be thought of as true

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 20, 2025

Tesla’s investors and its board of directors have expressed concerns about the extent of Musk’s involvement in politics, activities that appeared to cause frequent drops in the car company’s stock price.

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