America Party: What we know about the party Elon Musk wants to create

Democrats and Republicans. Although the United States political system is not officially bipartisan and there are multiple parties, historically only these two have held the majority of power. Now, the billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who was a strong ally of President Donald Trump during his campaign and first months in office—until he fell out with the Republican leader and quit his administration—has expressed interest in founding a new political party to break that reality.

This isn’t the first time Musk has toyed with the possibility of creating a new political faction. He had previously mentioned it on his social media platform X, and a few weeks ago he published a poll for his followers asking if he should start a new party. A large majority voted in favor. According to Musk, the name of this new entity would be the America Party, and its goal would be to disrupt the two major parties in the federal government.

For now, the businessman has not registered the party with the Federal Election Commission. But according to the U.S. media, Musk is engaged in talks with advisors and political experts to launch his idea. These advisors have privately communicated that they are seeking to use a Super PAC to gather the necessary support for the new party before it is officially established. A Super PAC can raise unlimited funds from individuals or organizations for political campaign advertising; however, it cannot contribute directly to political parties.

Is it possible to create a new political party?

In practical terms, creating a new party isn’t easy, but it is possible. The process requires extensive organization and gathering the signatures of thousands of voters in a state just to be able to appear on that state’s ballot. However, Musk has the financial clout to achieve this goal.

Although not a native of the United States, as a legal citizen, he has the right to form or support a political party at the state and federal levels. However, he cannot run for president, which is only permitted for citizens born in the country.

Musk has received support from other political parties, such as the Forward Party and the Libertarian Party. Andrew Yang, another entrepreneur who managed to create the Forward Party in 2021, said he has been in contact with the Tesla leader and his team: “Look, anyone who wants to challenge the duopoly has a friend in me,’” he told Axios. Yang also said he could help Musk recruit candidates in districts where the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) leader wants to challenge currently elected representatives.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party—which typically fields candidates for all levels of government—is seeking Musk’s attention and joining its ranks because of their shared interests in fiscal responsibility and concerns about the deficit. The Libertarian Party is the largest of the minor political parties. Its chairman, Steven Nekhalila, has stated that, along with Musk, the party could field “pro-liberty” candidates, fiscally conservative, to compete against the Republicans, who, in his view, “have proven they can’t be trusted.”

What challenges might the America Party face?

The proposal faces significant logistical and legal hurdles. The rules for appearing on the ballot vary from state to state and are complex, especially for congressional candidates.

On the other hand, the name “America Party” could be blocked in states like New York due to legal restrictions. Furthermore, according to experts, compiling a national list of candidates could cost more than $50 million and require three times the effort of a presidential campaign.

Even if Musk narrows his goals to a few congressional elections rather than running a presidential candidate, building the party’s momentum requires constant and strategic coordination. Previous third-party efforts, such as those led by the late Ross Perot or Yang, have failed due to organizational weakness and lack of voter support. While studies consistently show that citizens are open to supporting a third party, these tend not to have an impact on elections.

Furthermore, Musk’s lack of a clear platform beyond attacking Trump and promoting deficit reduction raises questions about his seriousness. Moreover, he routinely solicits feedback from his artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, suggesting he may not yet understand what it takes to build a viable political force.

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