Trump calls Musk's America Party 'ridiculous,' labels former ally a 'train wreck' for political rebellion

In a dramatic escalation of their public fallout, US President Donald Trump on Sunday (Jul 6) ridiculed Elon Musk's surprise plan to launch a new third party, calling it "ridiculous" and branding the tech mogul a "train wreck" who had gone "off the rails". The scathing remarks deepen the Republican leader's feud with the world's richest man, who was once his biggest backer, and come just a day after Musk announced the formation of the "America Party". The tech mogul has pitched it as an alternative to what he described as a "one-party system" dominated by Democrats and Republicans.

Trump calls Musk's America Party ridiculous

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One on his way back to Washington from his New Jersey golf club, the President of the United States said, “I think it's ridiculous to start a third party.” Trump insisted that "It's always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion. Third parties have never worked. So he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous".

Doubling down, Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, mocked Musk from aboard Air Force One: “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” "The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats." In a lengthy tirade, he once again insisted that Musk's rebellion stems from the Big Beautiful Bill's elimination of "the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate".

From ally to adversary: Is the Trump-Musk bromance over?

Donald Trump's blunt dismissal of Musk's America Party signals a sharp deterioration in the bromance between Trump and Musk, who previously headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the Trump administration and was a key player in federal budget-cutting reforms.

The two men fell out over Trump's massive domestic tax-and-spending bill, which Musk publicly opposed, calling it a plan that would explode the US debt. Equating Trump's Republican Party to the rival Democratic Party, the Tesla boss on X wrote, "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy".

Despite Trump’s mockery, the “America Party” idea is already generating buzz online. Musk’s initial poll on X on whether or not he should launch the party drew millions of views and tens of thousands of positive votes. Now, as per reports, Musk's political rebellion is putting the Republican Party on alert. While few concrete details are known about the "America Party," Trump loyalists fear it could cause Republicans headaches in the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.