Overview

• Musk asked his 220 million X followers whether to form a new political party to represent the “80% in the middle,” attaching a yes/no poll that garnered thousands of responses.
• The poll followed President Trump’s Oval Office comments expressing disappointment in Musk’s critique of his “Big, Beautiful Bill” spending package and asserting he would have won key states without Musk’s backing.
• Musk has denounced the bill as wasteful and deficit-driven, calling it a “pork-filled abomination” that fails to cut enough government waste.
• In rebuttal to Trump’s remarks, Musk claimed that without his financial support and public advocacy, Trump would have lost the 2024 election and Republicans would lack congressional majorities.
• Last week, Musk stepped down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, reducing his formal White House role as his political disagreements with Trump intensified.