The party’s over for Elon Musk

A moment of silence for tech billionaire Elon Musk’s political party, which lasted—check notes—just six weeks.

According to The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with Musk’s plans, the Tesla CEO is hitting the brakes on his “America Party,” telling allies he wants to focus on his struggling companies and is wary of launching a third party that could siphon off GOP voters. Musk, naturally, gives himself too much credit: His so-called coalition barely registers with pollsters, and surveys suggest the party would have been dead on arrival.

Musk won’t admit those numbers, of course. His latest stance marks a sharp shift from where he was in July, when he told his 224 million-plus followers on X that the party would contest a few House and Senate races in upcoming elections.

Now, according to the Journal, Musk is concerned about more than just poll numbers. Launching a third party could hurt his business and, significantly, the limited political friendships he still maintains.

He’s been focused on building ties with Vice President JD Vance, widely seen as Trump’s heir apparent. Musk has stayed in touch with Vance, even as he went through a messy public breakup with Trump, and has told associates that forming a political party might damage that relationship.

To that end, Musk and his allies have reportedly told confidants that he may channel some of his vast resources to support Vance if he runs for president in 2028. That would reverse Musk’s previous plan to cut back on political spending—though it’s not surprising, given he spent nearly $300 million backing Trump and other Republicans in 2024.

Musk’s inner circle insists he hasn’t closed the door on launching a new party and might still change his mind as the midterms approach. However, he appears to be reconsidering a venture that is already widely regarded as doomed. A July Echelon Insights poll confirmed what many suspected: the America Party has no real support. In a hypothetical congressional race, likely voters favored Democrats 45% to 41%, while only 5% said they’d support Musk’s party. Even more telling, 39% said they wouldn’t consider an America Party candidate at all, compared to 32% who might.

Beyond polling, launching a political party requires funding, infrastructure, and voter outreach. Musk has done little in that regard. The Journal reports he and his team haven’t connected with key figures who could help, including securing ballot access in vital states. In late July, Musk’s associates canceled a call with a group that specializes in organizing third-party campaigns, saying Musk wanted to focus on running his businesses.

Supporters of the party have also heard little from Musk. Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, who founded his own third party and action committee Forward Party in 2021, said he’d been in touch with Musk and his team when the America Party was announced, though he didn’t share details. Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban endorsed Musk’s party idea in July but told the Journal he’s had no recent contact with Musk or his team.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party has tried to court Musk, encouraging him to merge efforts rather than start a separate party. They claim to have the necessary infrastructure, voter-signature networks, and experience to implement Musk’s ideas. Steven Nekhaila, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, told the Journal he hasn’t heard from Musk or his allies and sees no serious effort to establish a new party.

“It’s almost an eerie silence,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like anything has been in action, neither at the state level or at the ground level.”

A Musk decision to cancel third-party plans would be a boost for Republicans ahead of next year’s midterms. Historically, third parties often split votes from one of the main parties. Keeping Musk on his side could be crucial for Vance if he runs for president in 2028—if Trump doesn’t intervene.

Musk’s relationship with Trump has been rocky. Earlier this year, Musk accused Trump of benefiting from his support and criticized the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that Trump backed. Musk, who led the Department of Government Efficiency before leaving the administration in late May, even threatened to back primary challengers to Republicans who voted for the legislation.

Signs of a thaw have since appeared. Musk and Trump seem to have paused their public feud, and Musk hasn’t criticized Trump or Republicans on X recently. Trump posted on Truth Social in late July that he wants Musk and his businesses to “thrive,” calling their success good for the country.

For now, the Tesla CEO is apparently waiting for a nod from Dear Leader before re-entering politics—a party, if it happens, that’s almost certain to flop. Maybe he’ll finally give up politics (finally!), but knowing Musk, this won’t be the last chapter in his political theatrics.