President Trump took direct aim at Elon Musk on Sunday night and said the billionaire had gone “off the rails” after Musk announced plans to start a new political party.
“I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, The New York Times reported. “He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States.”
The president echoed those words when he spoke to reporters on his way back to Washington D.C. this weekend.
“He can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous,” he said on Sunday. “I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party. We have had tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to the confusion. It really seems to have been developed for two parties.”
Musk’s proposed party, which he’s calling the America Party, is the latest sign of a public falling out between the two men.
The two were once close, with Musk pouring hundreds of millions into Trump’s campaign and being rewarded with a major role overseeing government spending cuts as he was named the unofficial head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
That relationship began to unravel last month when Trump’s sweeping domestic policy bill passed Congress.
Musk slammed the legislation, which was known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, as a “disgusting abomination.”
He also said he would back primary challengers against any Republican who voted for it. The bill still passed with overwhelming Republican support. Musk has not shared much about what the America Party stands for or who is involved in building it.
“Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate,” Musk wrote on X Sunday.
Trump has also threatened to slash federal contracts and tax subsidies that benefit Musk’s companies. On Sunday night, Trump said Musk only turned on him because the bill eliminated electric vehicle tax credits.
“I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate — It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had,” Trump wrote.
“He said he had no problems with that — I was very surprised!”
Musk had previously supported ending EV tax credits, but changed his position this year as Tesla’s sales declined.
Trump also said Musk was furious over his decision to pull the nomination of Jared Isaacman, a close friend of Musk’s and a SpaceX astronaut, to head NASA.
Trump withdrew the nomination after a White House official pointed out that Isaacman had made donations to high-profile Democrats.
Isaacman had disclosed the donations during the transition and before the nomination.
But as Trump’s ties with Musk frayed, the issue was brought up again behind the scenes.
“I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the Space Business, run NASA, when NASA is such a big part of Elon’s corporate life,” Trump added on Sunday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Musk’s previous work to cut waste in government had been popular.
But Bessent said Musk himself was not.
“I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies, which he is better at than anyone,” Bessent said on CNN.
“So I imagine that those board of directors did not like this announcement yesterday and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.”