Overview

• Musk unveiled the America Party on his X platform after a poll found 65% of respondents backed a new political force
• He cited waste and graft in President Trump’s budget legislation as his motivation for launching an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties
• The party aims to field candidates in two or three Senate races and eight to ten House districts in the 2026 midterms to influence close votes
• Born in South Africa, Musk remains ineligible for the presidency under U.S. natural-born citizen requirements
• President Trump dismissed the third-party bid as “ridiculous,” arguing the two-party model leaves little room for successful third-party challenges