Musk announces the establishment of the "American Party", targeting the 2026 midterm elections

On July 5th, entrepreneur Elon Musk announced on social media the official establishment of the "American Party", claiming that its goal is to restore freedom to the people. This move comes amid intense disagreements between Musk and Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill".

Before the bill was signed, Musk initiated an online poll asking whether a new party should be established, with about 1.249 million netizens participating, 65.4% of whom expressed support. Based on this result, Musk officially announced the establishment of the new party. This move directly challenges Trump's position within the Republican Party and marks the rupture of their political alliance.

Musk hinted that the "American Party" will participate in the 2026 midterm elections, allowing time for fundraising, organizational structure, and candidate selection. According to regulations, new political parties do not need to formally register unless their fundraising or spending exceeds a certain threshold. Given Musk's financial resources, funding is not expected to be a limiting factor.

Some netizens speculate that the new party's political agenda may include reducing debt expenditures, promoting the development of AI technology, and全面放松监管, to which Musk expressed agreement.

Musk revealed that the "American Party" will initially focus on 2-3 Senate seats and 8-10 House districts, attempting to become a decisive force in Congress through these key positions. This precise strategy aims to influence policy-making by becoming the "critical minority," rather than the traditional approach of political parties seeking a majority of seats.

Musk emphasized that, given the extremely close distribution of seats in the current Congress, this strategy is sufficient to influence significant legislation and ensure that it "truly represents the will of the people."

The background of the establishment of the new party is the fierce conflict between Musk and Trump over fiscal policy. The $3.3 trillion spending bill signed by Trump was publicly criticized by Musk, who stated that the bill would exacerbate the U.S. debt crisis and threatened to fund primary opponents of congressional members who supported the bill.

Trump publicly warned Musk that opposing his agenda would come at a personal cost, suggesting that without government subsidies, Musk's companies might face difficulties. This "Trump-Musk" feud highlights the sharp turn in their relationship from cooperation to opposition and serves as a direct catalyst for the establishment of the "American Party."