Elon Musk says Trump used him for political leverage and insists he won’t be part of the circus anymore
Elon Musk has publicly accused President Donald Trump of “using” him for political leverage, reigniting their increasingly bitter feud just one day after Trump signed his contentious “Big Beautiful Bill” into law.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO didn’t hold back, accusing the president of hypocrisy and wasteful spending. After blasting the bill last month as “pork-filled” and a “disgusting abomination,” Musk followed through on his earlier warning and officially announced the formation of a third political party — the “America Party” — on Saturday.
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk posted on X. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
The move marked a dramatic escalation in the ongoing rift between the two once-close figures, who were seen side by side during Trump’s 2024 campaign events and in the early months of his second term.
The response from Trump’s allies came swiftly. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a frequent Musk critic from their time in the White House, dismissed the billionaire’s political ambitions in a CNN interview on Sunday.
“The principals of DOGE were very popular, I think if you looked at the polling, Elon was not,” Bessent said, referring to the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency that Musk briefly led.
Musk hit back with characteristic bluntness on X, mocking Bessent as a “political science major who can’t even do math.” He doubled down on his claim that Trump had used him for popularity clout during the campaign.
“The polling for me was very positive a year ago, which is why Trump used me so much,” Musk wrote.
Trump, not one to stay silent, took to Truth Social to lash out at his former ally in an extended rant, accusing Musk of being ungrateful, erratic, and dangerous to conservative unity.
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump posted.
“He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States — The System seems not designed for them.”
The president continued with a warning about third parties disrupting Republican momentum:
“The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION and CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats,” he said.
“Republicans, on the other hand, are a smooth running ‘machine’ that just passed the biggest Bill of its kind in the History of our Country.”
Trump ended by defending the bill’s repeal of EV mandates, which has proven catastrophic for Tesla’s bottom line.
“It is a Great Bill, but, unfortunately for Elon, it eliminates the ridiculous Electric Vehicle (EV) Mandate, which would have forced everyone to buy an Electric Car in a short period of time,” Trump wrote.
“I have been strongly opposed to that from the very beginning.”
As Musk now positions himself as a political force independent of both parties, his dramatic fallout with Trump threatens to fracture parts of the Republican base — particularly younger, tech-savvy voters who once admired both men. Whether the “America Party” can gain traction remains to be seen, but the breakup of the Trump-Musk alliance could have lasting ripple effects heading into the 2026 midterms.
Note to our readers: This article includes insights from the Mirror’s coverage of Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s “megabill” collaboration (The Mirror), integrated with previously cited reports for a comprehensive and accurate analysis.
