President Donald Trump dismissed Elon Musk's calls to create a third party Tuesday, saying it would only serve to help his administration.
"I think it'll help us. It'll probably help. Third parties have always been good for me. I don't know about Republicans, but for me," Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if he was worried about the potential impact of a third party.
On Saturday, Musk announced that he was starting a new political party called the America Party, which the Tesla CEO promises will give Americans "back their freedom."
Since breaking from his close bond with Trump, Musk has become disillusioned with the administration he largely helped elect. Musk's antipathy toward Trump's "big, beautiful bill" coupled with his frustration with Republicans to fully embrace his DOGE efforts have left Musk feeling without a political home.
Trump defended how far the DOGE cuts went: "Look, we cut hundreds of billions of dollars with DOGE. I would have done it differently a little bit, maybe, but it was something that we saved a lot of money.
"You can always second guess, I guess some of the people in this room maybe would have done it slightly differently and some would have done it exactly the way it was done. But it was dramatic, and it was important and we found a lot of things."
Since being nearly inseparable for the months before and after the November 2024 election, the epic crash between Musk and Trump has continued to play out on social media. On Sunday, Trump posted that he was "saddened" by Musk's behavior, saying he had gone "completely off the rails."
"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 one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS," Trump added.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.