Musk Quietly Steps Back from "America Party" Plans: What's Behind the Silence?

Concerns Over Strained Ties With Republican Figures if New Party Is Formed
Focus on Relationship With Vice President Vance... Plans to Support Him in 2028

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, declared that he would form a new political party due to his conflict with U.S. President Donald Trump, but he is now quietly putting the brakes on this plan, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on August 19 (local time).

According to the WSJ, CEO Musk told his close associates that he wants to focus on the companies he is currently running and that he is concerned that forming a new party and splitting the Republican voter base could damage his relationships with key Republican figures.

Elon Musk Tesla CEO. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

This is the opposite of his stance earlier last month, when he announced plans to create the America Party aimed at next year's midterm elections to represent voters dissatisfied with the two major U.S. parties.

During the process of considering the formation of a new party, CEO Musk was reportedly very careful to maintain his relationship with Vice President JD Vance, who is mentioned as a MAGA (Make America Great Again) successor. Sources said that CEO Musk has been in continuous contact with Vice President Vance in recent weeks, and that they believe pushing ahead with the new party would worsen his relationship with Vance.

Additionally, according to these sources, CEO Musk discussed with his close associates the possibility of supporting Vice President Vance should he run in the 2028 presidential election. In the 2024 presidential election, CEO Musk spent about $300 million for President Trump and the Republican Party.

However, CEO Musk's associates said that he has not officially withdrawn his plan to form a new party, but he may change his position as next year's midterm elections approach.

Nevertheless, the WSJ pointed out that Musk's team has not made significant contact with individuals who could support or play a key role in the party formation process. According to sources, Musk's team canceled a scheduled late July conference call with an outside group specializing in third-party campaign organizations. This was reportedly because CEO Musk wanted to focus on running his companies.

If CEO Musk abandons his plan to form a third party, it could be favorable for the Republican Party ahead of next year's midterm elections. Historically, third parties have played a role in siphoning votes from one of the two major parties. For Vice President Vance, having "big spender" CEO Musk as an ally could be crucial for his presidential ambitions. In the 2024 presidential election, Musk's super PAC, America PAC, spent millions of dollars for President Trump in key battleground states such as Pennsylvania.

When asked for comment by the WSJ, Vice President Vance's spokesperson referred to a recent interview Vance gave to the conservative website Gateway Pundit. In the interview, Vice President Vance said that breaking with President Trump and the conservative camp would be a mistake and expressed hope that CEO Musk would return around the time of the midterm elections.

CEO Musk established himself as one of President Trump's closest allies during the 2024 presidential election, but their relationship became publicly strained after Musk strongly criticized Trump's large-scale tax cut bill.

However, the WSJ noted that there now appears to be at least a temporary atmosphere of reconciliation between CEO Musk and President Trump. The two have recently stopped exchanging barbs on social media. CEO Musk is no longer criticizing President Trump or the Republican Party, and President Trump has expressed hope for Musk and his businesses to succeed.

Although President Trump raised the possibility of terminating federal contracts with Musk's companies, the Trump administration's review of SpaceX contracts found that most of them are essential for the Department of Defense or NASA, according to the WSJ. In addition, SpaceX is one of the companies benefiting from the executive order President Trump recently signed to ease rocket launch licensing regulations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.