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Elon Musk teases new political party, giving Trump the worst nightmare

New Delhi: In a move that has sent shockwaves through the American political landscape, Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has ignited a heated national debate by floating the idea of creating a new political party aimed at representing what he calls "the 80% in the middle." The proposal, made via a poll on X on Thursday, comes on the heels of a highly publicised feud with President Donald Trump, marking a dramatic escalation in tensions between the two former allies. Musk's post on X posed a simple yet provocative question: "Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?" Accompanied by a poll, the question quickly garnered significant attention. As of the last reported figures at the time of the post, 81.06% of respondents (3,176,479 votes) supported the idea by voting "Yes," while 18.94% (743,630 votes) voted "No," reflecting a strong public inclination toward exploring alternatives to the current political system. About 4 million people participated in the poll during the first 10 hours. The results highlight a growing frustration among Americans with the entrenched two-party system, which has dominated U.S. politics since the 1850s, according to historical data from Wikipedia. The Republican and Democratic parties have long held a duopoly, often leaving third-party movements -- like the Libertarian Party or the Populist Party of the 1890s -- struggling to gain lasting traction due to structural barriers and factionalism. The timing of Musk's proposal follows weeks of escalating tensions with Trump, culminating in a bitter public spat over a controversial spending bill passed by the House last month. Musk, who recently stepped down from his advisory role with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been vocal in his criticism of the bill, calling it "pork-filled" and "outrageous." In a series of X posts, he accused Congress of passing the legislation "in the dead of night" without proper scrutiny, a claim that has resonated with many Americans disillusioned by partisan gridlock. The rift between Musk and Trump, once seen as an unlikely but powerful partnership, has erupted into a public feud. The two initially bonded over shared goals of economic deregulation and innovation, with Musk endorsing Trump in July 2024 following an assassination attempt on the then-candidate. Musk's support was instrumental in Trump's re-election, with the tech mogul contributing over $250 million to Trump's campaign through a political action committee, making him the election's largest donor. However, cracks began to appear in December 2024 when Musk helped kill a government funding bill, earning him the nickname "Shadow President" among some political commentators. The Washington Post described Musk as "somewhere between unofficial co-president and 'first buddy'" during Trump's transition period, a testament to his outsized influence at Mar-a-Lago. But the breaking point came when Musk publicly criticised Trump's "big, beautiful" spending bill, which the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates will increase the U.S. national debt by $2.4 trillion over the next decade and leave 11 million people without government-backed health insurance. Trump retaliated swiftly, claiming on Truth Social that Musk had "just gone CRAZY" and threatening to terminate Musk's government contracts and subsidies, including $22 billion tied to SpaceX. Musk fired back, announcing that SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft, a critical asset used to shuttle people and supplies to the International Space Station, in response to Trump's threats. The announcement sent Tesla's stock plummeting by 14% within hours, underscoring the economic stakes of this high-profile clash. Musk further escalated the feud by alleging on X that Trump's name appears in the undisclosed Jeffrey Epstein files, a bombshell claim that has fueled speculation and outrage across the political spectrum. "Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public," Musk wrote on Thursday, adding, "Have a nice day, DJT!" Musk's proposal is not the first attempt to challenge the U.S. two-party system. The Populist Party of the 1890s, for example, emerged from widespread antiparty sentiment among farmers and labourers but ultimately faded due to internal divisions and co-option by the Democratic Party. More recently, Ross Perot's 1992 independent presidential campaign demonstrated the potential for third-party candidates to influence elections, but as Anthony Scaramucci noted in a Newsweek article, Perot's success led the major parties to "lock down" the system, making it harder for third parties to gain a foothold. Structural barriers, such as the US's winner-takes-all electoral system and restrictive ballot access laws, pose significant challenges for any new party. Additionally, Musk's ineligibility to run for president due to his South African birt, he is not a natural-born U.S. citizen, as required by the Constitution, could limit his ability to lead such a movement directly. Public sentiment toward Musk is also mixed. An AP-NORC poll from April 2025 found that only 33% of U.S. adults view Musk favorably, down from 41% in December 2024, largely due to his increasingly polarising political stances. While 7 in 10 Republicans approve of Musk, only 2 in 10 independents and 1 in 10 Democrats share that view, suggesting that any new party he champions might struggle to appeal to the broad "middle" he aims to represent. The matter further escalated as Musk claimed that "Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year," a prediction that aligns with concerns from economists at the International Monetary Fund, who recently forecasted a potential 2.5% contraction in U.S. GDP by Q4 2025 due to trade disruptions. Moreover, Musk's allegations about Trump's involvement in the Epstein files have added a new layer of controversy to an already volatile situation. While no evidence has been made public to substantiate Musk's claim, the accusation has reignited debates over transparency and accountability in government, with some calling for the immediate release of the Epstein files. As the Musk-Trump feud continues to dominate headlines, the question of a new political party remains a tantalising but uncertain prospect. Musk's influence, wealth, and platform give him a unique ability to mobilise public opinion, but translating that into a viable political movement will require overcoming significant structural and political hurdles. Whether Musk will follow through on his idea remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the "80% in the middle" he seeks to represent is watching closely, and their frustration with the status quo may yet reshape the political landscape in ways few could have predicted.

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