Latest news with #newpoliticalparty
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Musk's Third-Party Ambitions Have a Surprising Champion
Elon Musk has a not-so-new idea for righting American politics following his spectacular falling out with President Donald Trump: establishing a new political party. Being Musk, he put it to a poll on X, asking his followers, 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' 5.6 million accounts voted, with 80 percent agreeing that, yes, it was time. Musk followed up with a proposed name for the new party: America Party, which is reminiscent of the name of his super PAC, America PAC. Andrew Yang also agreed. The former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and founder of the Forward Party, a centrist political party, explained to Politico that he has reached out to the Tesla CEO with a proposal to build a third party together. While he hasn't heard back from Musk, Yang told Politico that he's optimistic, adding, 'Elon has built world-class companies from nothing more than an idea multiple times, and in this instance, you have the vast majority of Americans who are hungry for a new approach.' 'I'm happy to spell it out for Elon or anyone else who wants to head down this road: A third party can succeed very quickly,' he added. Yang also shared that some of the pair's mutual friends were working to connect them. In 2019, prior to his descent into Trump's orbit, Musk endorsed Yang during his presidential campaign, based at least partly on their shared desire to implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI). A UBI of $1,000 a month for all American citizens over the age of 18 was a key policy in Yang's campaign platform, and in 2016, Musk told CNBC, 'There is a pretty good chance we end up with a universal basic income, or something like that, due to automation. Yeah, I am not sure what else one would do. I think that is what would happen.' In his interview with Politico, Yang acknowledged that he doesn't agree with Musk on everything, but argued that. 'America's political system has gone from dysfunctional to polarizing to even worse.' Considering the 'fastest growing political movement in the United States is independents' who don't feel represented by either party, change is needed, he said. Dodging questions from Politico about whether Musk's actions under Trump would make it difficult for anyone from the center-left to work with him, Yang said, 'I'm someone who tends to judge people by their actions more than anything else. And Elon Musk has done more for sustainability on this planet than virtually any other human, and that's something that I think is incredibly estimable and admirable.' Yang noted Musk's interest in sustainability in courting the billionaire for his effort to launch a third party. 'Elon, the political class will never get serious about putting America on a path to sustainability, and you've seen it up close. You know that if it's going to happen, it's going to be from some new force in American politics,' Yang said. 'Help us build it.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Andrew Yang reaches out to Musk to collaborate on new political party
Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said he's reached out to Elon Musk in hopes of collaborating on the creation of a new political party, according to a Saturday interview with Politico Magazine. Yang, along with mutual friends, believes the Tesla CEO has what it takes to form a new faction that propels America's strongest leaders. When asked if Musk has responded to his inquiry, Yang told the outlet 'Not yet, but I assume he's been very busy.' 'We have been of the opinion that America needed a new political party for a number of years, and so waiting another 24 hours is nothing,' he added. Musk's push for a new political caucus emerged from his public feud with President Trump over the 'big, beautiful bill.' The tech giant strongly opposed the national debt increase after months of working with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut federal spending. Yang, the founder of 'The Forward Party,' said it's political outsiders like Musk who consider non-traditional approaches to the country's problems. 'I want to work with people that recognize that America's political system has gone from dysfunctional to polarizing to even worse. And at this point, the fastest growing political movement in the United States is independents,' Yang said. 'They feel like neither party represents them, and the two-party system is not delivering what they want to see,' he continued. Many people have recently left the Democratic party, including former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who announced she became an independent after seeing political polarization throughout the campaign trail. 'If you look at Musk's politics over the last number of years, he waited in line to meet Barack Obama, he endorsed me in a Democratic cycle, and even earlier in this cycle — 2024 — he was looking for an alternative to Trump,' Yang said. 'There are a number of things that I think Elon shares in common with a lot of other folks I talk to who want to see some kind of middle ground or balance. The problem is: In our two-party system, you get whipsawed either one direction or the other,' he continued. Last year, Musk was a major donor for Republicans but has supported a wide array of candidates like Yang in the past. Now that he's severed ties with the GOP, political hopefuls have been looking to capitalize on the billionaire's powerful funding reserve for future campaigns. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Elon Musk suggests creating a new political party amid Trump rift
Elon Musk publicly mused about creating a new political party this week, an idea that could escalate the billionaire's feud with his onetime ally President Trump. Musk first floated the idea on Thursday. In between jabs at Mr. Trump, the billionaire posted a poll to X asking his 220 million followers if they think it's "time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle." A day later, Musk noted that 80% of respondents to the poll backed the idea. "This is fate," he wrote Friday evening. Musk then endorsed a fan's suggestion that he name it the "America Party." The name bears a resemblance to America PAC, the political action committee founded by Musk last year that was his main vehicle for spending $239 million to help elect Mr. Trump and other Republican candidates in 2024. Starting a new political party is easier said than done. The Democratic and Republican parties, and some of the larger third parties, already have ballot access in virtually every state, so an upstart party that hopes to be competitive would need to navigate a web of state-by-state rules to get its candidates on the ballot. And while Musk — the world's richest person — is legally allowed to pour unlimited money into his America PAC because it is organized as an independent super PAC, donations to formal political parties are capped at well under $1 million, per the Federal Election Commission's contribution limits for 2025-2026 federal elections. It's not clear how serious Musk is about the idea of breaking with the Republican Party. Later Friday, the billionaire replied "Ok" to a person who argued "the best bang for your buck" is to get involved in GOP primaries. He also seemed to entertain a post that suggested reforming one of the main parties "from the inside out" instead of starting a third party, replying "Hmm." Still, Musk's musings about starting a new political party could signal he plans to stay engaged in politics, and may try to challenge Mr. Trump's influence. Musk said last month he planned on dialing back his political spending generally, saying at the time that he didn't "see a reason" to keep putting his money into politics, though he left open the possibility of getting involved again. His time leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency also came to an end last week, with Mr. Trump publicly expressing support. But Musk began directly challenging Mr. Trump on Tuesday, calling the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — a sprawling domestic policy bill backed by Mr. Trump — a "disgusting abomination" and urging lawmakers to vote against it. The two men publicly sparred on Thursday, with Mr. Trump threatening to cut off subsidies to Musk's companies, while Musk claimed the president was ungrateful for the hundreds of millions he poured into helping the 2024 Trump campaign. Musk entered the congressional fray at a delicate moment for the GOP. The party's domestic policy bill narrowly passed the House last month, but it still needs to go through the Senate, and if the upper chamber makes any changes, it will need to head back to the House again. Musk offered a pointed suggestion Thursday afternoon to any congressional Republicans who may be unsure of whether to side with him or the president, writing on X: "Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years."
