I'm not losing sleep over Elon Musk's political ambitions

Just a month after his explosive fallout with Donald Trump, Elon Musk is floating the idea of forming his own political party. In a poll on X, 1.24 million of his followers voted, with 65.4 percent saying they would like to see such a thing happen. The America Party would offer “independence” from a political system Musk says is too focused on “waste & graft.” Like so many things Musk says, it’s not worth paying too much attention to unless he puts his money where his mouth is. But, also like so many things Musk says, it’s likely the idea of an “America Party” will wither away as quickly as it was conceived.

Naturally, where Musk’s putative America Party stands on the big issues will be a key focus for some voters. So far, the billionaire has outlined the party would [CITATION NEEDED], [TO BE DECIDED] and [RON SWANSON MEME]. It’s likely Musk would, as he did at the Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE), swing the hammer at whatever remains of the government. To justify such destruction, Musk would likely say he is interested in reducing the US’ debt burden and curbing inflation. It has already drawn interest from a number of wealthy high profile figures who see some value in having a billionaire in control of a political party.

If all the talk about shrinking the government sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the position of both the Libertarian Party and the crap your 12 year-old nephew says after spending too much time on Reddit and YouTube. It will likely contain the same lapses in logic you find whenever you listen to anyone in that sphere for too long. For example, demanding the US reduce the effective tax rate to zero while still, somehow, funding lavish R&D projects to maintain the country’s technological lead.

As of now, this party’s goal presumably is not to get Musk into the White House. He was born in South Africa and is consequently ineligible to run for high office unless he can get two thirds of the House and Senate to amend the Constitution. Consequently, the America Party may have Musk as its figurehead, but people will actually be voting for his patsy electoral proxy. But, while I’m sure there are hundreds of credulous citizens willing to take on the role of Elon’s Puppet (I’m sure the DOGE staff list alone would do), it might be a harder sell to the voters en masse.

Not to mention the US has a structural disclination toward anything but the two-party system, where third party candidates are treated with disdain. At best, third parties act as spoilers for the Democratic and Republican nominees, like Ralph Nader’s run in 2000. You might argue that we’re living in a different world now, where a tech-friendly, and tech-savvy figure would do differently. That’s because you, like pretty much everyone else, have forgotten about Andrew Yang’s hang-on-let-me-Google-it Forward Party.

And that’s before we get to the biggest issue of them all, which is the near-mortal wounding of Musk’s own reputation. In the last decade, Musk’s mainstream brand has gone from well-respected innovator (regardless of if that was justified or not) to erratic manchild. He may own a vast bully pulpit in the form of Twitter / X, but that may only endear him to the sorts of people who would pay for Verification and buy Cybertrucks, but nobody else. Is that broad enough of a coalition to overcome the entrenched advantages the big two parties have in American society?

It’s a significant challenge since Musk has alienated a large portion of those well-heeled EV-buying progressive types in his customer base. They may have been volunteer evangelists for the technology and, by extension, his car company, but they aren’t too thrilled about the chaos DOGE has wrought, or anything else Musk has done. Meanwhile, his recent spat with Dear Leader, too, has likely rendered him persona non grata with many Republicans. Ironic, really, given that there’s actually plenty of energy in the US for a real alternative political party — in 2023 Gallup found 63 percent of Americans were in favor of one.

But while some pollsters believe Musk’s brand would carry a third party, his actual record in politics does not. Earlier this year, Musk got directly involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, spending $25 million to support Republican-affiliated candidate Brad Schmiel. Musk also offered voters “gifts” of $1 million and wore a Cheesehead Hat at a campaign rally. But it was Schmiel’s opponent, the Democratic-backed Susan Crawford, who won with 55.02 percent of the vote.

It’s likely undecided voters might also wonder if Musk’s negotiating savvy is good enough for a seat at the top table. After all, Musk successfully backed Trump’s election, but may have done so with the hope of preserving many of Tesla’s carve-outs. Given the so-called Big Beautiful Bill will swiftly do away with all of the EV tax credits that helped make Teslas attractive, it’s not as if Musk succeeded. In fact, given the backlash against Musk has seen Tesla deliveries fall by nearly 60,000 cars compared to the same period last year, perhaps he’s the last person who voters would want representing them on the international stage.

So, a political party founded by someone with an erratic track record in business whose personal brand has fallen quite sharply in recent years and who is mired in controversies. Unfortunately, it turns out the American electorate loves an unstable weirdo who sucks at business! Voters can take heart, though, by remembering that Musk’s words so rarely turn into action.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/im-not-losing-sleep-over-elon-musks-political-ambitions-160116542.html?src=rss https://www.engadget.com/general/im-not-losing-sleep-over-elon-musks-political-ambitions-160116542.html?src=rss