Elon Musk floated an idea to his followers on X, the social media platform that he owns, whether it is time to create a new political party as his conflicts with President Donald Trump and the reconciliation budget proposal backed by House Republicans escalate.
“Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” Musk wrote, offering his followers to participate in a poll. Not surprisingly, 82.3% of the more than 1.4 million votes cast said “yes,” with 17.7% voting “no” as of 4:20 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Musk has 220.3 million followers on X.
The post came hours after Trump expressed “disappointment” with Musk over the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s criticism of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that Trump is trying to get through Congress. Musk believes the legislation is too large and doesn’t do enough to cut spending.
Musk’s public criticisms of the legislation began near the end of his term as a special government employee in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, leading to a break in his tight relationship with Trump. Musk, the world’s richest person, donated millions to Trump’s 2024 campaign, promoted the president’s ideas on X and spoke alongside him at rallies across the country.