President Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday with a fiery message aimed squarely at Elon Musk, once seen as a powerful political ally. In the post, Trump expressed frustration over Musk’s recent behavior and his decision to form a new political movement in protest of the president’s latest legislative victory.
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump wrote Sunday afternoon.
The president continued his critique, referencing Musk’s new political group and blasting the broader idea of launching alternative parties in the U.S. political landscape.
“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 added. “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!”
Before issuing his online statement, Trump fielded a question from the press regarding Musk’s newly announced “America Party” during a stop near Air Force One.
“I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question, adding later: “So he can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
The latest back-and-forth further illustrates the deteriorating relationship between the two influential figures. Musk had just announced his party yesterday, citing his strong opposition to a legislative package pushed by Trump and recently signed into law.
“By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!,” Musk wrote on X. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
Whether Musk will move forward with establishing the party remains unclear. But his announcement reignited tensions between the billionaire and the president, tensions that had only recently calmed after earlier disputes surrounding the same piece of legislation.
Trump has consistently claimed that Musk’s disapproval stems from the bill’s removal of subsidies for electric vehicles — a policy shift that directly impacts Musk’s businesses. He reiterated that point in his Truth Social post.
“It is a Great Bill but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time,” Trump wrote. “I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning.”
While the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act included tax credits for electric vehicle purchases, Trump’s newly signed legislation did away with those incentives — a change that has drawn significant attention from both political and industry leaders.
“I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate – It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had,” Trump wrote on Sunday. “He said he had no problems with that – I was very surprised!”
In addition to founding the “America Party,” Musk has declared he will pour financial resources into campaigns aimed at unseating Republican lawmakers who supported the legislation. He also pledged to support Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who broke ranks with Trump by voting against the bill.
The tension between the two men has grown noticeably in recent months. Despite Musk’s vocal support for Trump during the last election cycle, disagreements over policy have repeatedly brought their relationship to the brink. After a temporary truce last month, their feud has reignited once more.
Some within the GOP are concerned about the fallout. With next year’s elections looming and the party’s House majority at risk, Musk’s third-party movement and threats to target fellow Republicans could pose a serious distraction.
“One of the most destructive behaviors that we’ve had in cycles where we’ve been unsuccessful in Senate races … are those in which we have expended massive resources in intraparty warfare,” one Republican consultant told The Hill, commenting on Musk’s emerging role in the primary landscape.
{Matzav.com}