Will Elon Musk Start a Political Party?

Elon Musk, who has clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump, raised a flag of rebellion on his platform, “X.” He posted a poll asking: “Is it time to create a new political party in the U.S. that truly represents the moderate 80%?”A resounding 80.4% of respondents answered “Yes.”

Musk’s comment on the poll results was as follows:

“The people have spoken. There is a need for a new political party in the U.S. that represents the moderate 80%. And precisely 80% of the people agree. This is destiny.”

He even announced a name for this new party: “The America Party.”

Of course, Musk’s posts don’t necessarily mean he will go ahead and found a party. It looks more like he’s testing the waters.

Musk, the richest person in the world, reportedly spent nearly $300 million supporting Republicans in the 2024 elections. That figure is far greater than any other billionaire’s political donation. It's highly likely that Musk’s financial support played a role in Trump’s victory. Considering that U.S. elections — and, by extension, ‘American democracy’ — revolve around “Big Money,” Musk could very well be a game-changer.

Would Musk run for president himself in the 2028 election by founding a party? A reconciliation with Trump wouldn’t be surprising either.

Musk’s posts are reminiscent of Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who ran as an independent candidate in the 1992 election. That race featured President George H. W. Bush and Democratic nominee Bill Clinton.

In early polls, Perot was actually leading both major candidates. However, Clinton ultimately won the election, while Perot secured around 19% of the vote — the highest percentage ever for an independent in a U.S. presidential race. Since he didn’t win a majority in any state, his share in the Electoral College was zero.

To this day, debate continues over whether Perot’s candidacy cost Bush his second term.

Due to polarization, the U.S. electoral system effectively operates as a two-party system.

In theory, a third party or independent candidate can win, but this has yet to happen in practice. While there are already several political parties in the U.S., they either field their own candidates or endorse one of the two main parties’ nominees.

Angela McArdle, former chair of the Libertarian Party, suggested on “X” that Musk could easily take over their party. Her message was essentially: “You don’t need to found a party — yours is ready.”

Ross Perot, who won 19% of the vote in 1992, went on to form the “Reform Party” in 1995. When he ran again in 1996, he only managed to get 8% of the vote.

Still, one curious pattern consistently emerges in U.S. elections — and it might work in Musk’s favor.

In the 2024 elections, around 90 million eligible voters didn’t cast a ballot. That’s about 36% of voting-age Americans.

In the 2020 election, nearly 4 out of 10 people who didn’t vote were under 30 years old.

Among those who did vote, only 1 in 10 was under 30.

This means non-voters are effectively the largest “party” in America.

In the last four elections, the number of non-voters has never dropped below 81 million.

Most of these non-voters view the two parties as essentially the same and believe their vote won’t change their fate.

Even though Democrats have run extensive campaigns to mobilize non-voters, this perception hasn’t shifted much.

Still, politics is the art of persuasion — and there’s always a first time for everything.

Could Musk succeed? That remains uncertain.

In a country where Democrats and Republicans each claim around 48% of the vote, the real battle is over the remaining 4%.

Even tiny shifts in that margin can tip the scales, making or breaking a candidate.

In the 2024 election, swing states — or “battleground states” — had razor-thin margins, in some cases just a few thousand votes.

Kamala Harris’s loss was largely attributed to defeats in those states.

Compared to Trump, Musk may be a political lightweight — but he’s a giant in wealth and technology.

Will he dare to form a political party?

Even if he doesn’t, he still has the financial power to damage the two pillars of the American establishment.

Rather than playing a constructive role, Musk may end up being more of a disruptor — and could steer American politics into uncharted waters.