Tech billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly backing off his own plans to self-fund candidates for a third party to take on Republicans and Democrats after he was unceremoniously booted from President Donald Trump's circle.
Trump and Musk experienced a very public and dramatic fallout over the summer after nearly a year of close alliance. Their break-up centered around disagreements over policy, political ambitions, and personal attacks, particularly over the "Big Beautiful Bill," which is projected to add trillions to the national debt.
Musk then publicly pledged to launch the America Party primarily as a response to his feud with Trump.
But the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday night that those plans have already been moved to the back burner.
"The billionaire Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party," people with knowledge of his plans told the news outlet.
Musk, currently the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X, has told allies he wants to shift his focus back to his companies and is hesitant to "alienate powerful Republicans by starting a third party that could siphon off GOP voters."
That decision came amid talks in recent weeks between Musk and Vice President JD Vance, in which Musk was left with the impression that a third party would "damage his relationship" with Vance. Musk is reportedly weighing whether to back Vance for president in 2028.
