Elon Musk ‘Pumping the Brakes’ on Launching Third Party — Instead Tries to Cozy Up to JD Vance: WSJ

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

A new report reveals Elon Musk is “quietly pumping the brakes” on launching a new political party and is instead focused on “maintaining ties” with the man he views as potential heir to the MAGA throne.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Tesla boss is slowing down his efforts on the “America Party” that he unofficially launched on July 5 — after X users, in an unscientific poll, said they supported the venture.

But actual pollster data showed the public was much more cool to the idea. CNN polling guru Harry Enten panned the America Party as “dead on arrival” after the network’s data found Musk’s personal approval rating cratered by 55 points in a span of just four months.

In addition to the lack of broad public support, the Journal reports Musk hasn’t been able to connect with any “prominent individuals who have voiced support for the idea of a new party or could be a crucial resource to help it get off the ground.”

And so in light of that, Musk seems to be casting his lot with a logical successor to President Donald Trump — Vice President JD Vance.

“Musk has stayed in touch with Vance in recent weeks, and he has acknowledged to associates that if he goes ahead with forming a political party, he would damage his relationship with the vice president,” the Journal’s Brian Schwartz reported. Schwartz added, “Musk and his associates have told people close to him that he is considering using some of his vast financial resources to back Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028, some of the people said. Musk spent close to $300 million to support Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election.”

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CLARIFICATION (10:45 a.m. ET) — Language in the original version of this post referring to Musk fully abandoning the America Party has been updated to more accurately reflect the Wall Street Journal’s reporting.