Donald Trump fired back at Elon Musk following the announcement that the businessman will create a new political party in the United States, called America Party, and issued a warning to him.
The president also described as a "disaster" and "derailed train" someone who was his ally until recently, and criticized the shift taken by the tech magnate in recent weeks.
“It saddens me to see Elon Musk completely out of control, essentially turning into a DISASTER over the past five weeks”, with those words the president began a lengthy post on Truth Social where he expressed his opinion on Musk's recent actions.
"In fact, he wants to start a Third Political Party, even though they have never been successful in the United States: the system doesn't seem to be designed for them. The only thing Third Parties are good for is to create TOTAL DISRUPTION and CHAOS, and we already have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their trust and their minds!", he warned.
The criticism was published just a few hours after Musk announced on X that he would promote the creation of the America Party; an alternative “against the Republican/Democrat one-party” which, according to him, has ruined the country “with waste and corruption.”
For Trump, however, this initiative is “ridiculous” and “doomed to fail,” as he reiterated when he stepped off Air Force One that same Sunday.
“Creating a third party is ridiculous. We have tremendous success with the Republican Party; the Democrats have lost their way, but it has always been a bipartisan system. Third parties have never worked. So you can have fun with that, but I find it ridiculous,” stated the president.
A personal, political, and economic breakdown
For months, Musk and Trump exchanged praises, events, and shared goals.
The businessman even donated 260 million dollars to the Republican campaign.
He then led the controversial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), from which he promoted mass layoffs of public employees.
But that tune changed this week, following the approval by Congress of the One Big Beautiful Bill (BBB), a massive tax bill backed by Trump that eliminates incentives for electric vehicles (one of Tesla's main business lines) and reduces taxes for the wealthiest sectors, increasing the deficit by more than $3.3 trillion over 10 years.
Musk openly opposed the law and called it an "abomination."
"I have campaigned on this for two years, and honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestionable support, I asked him if he knew I was going to eliminate the EV mandate — it was in all my speeches and every conversation I had. He said he had no problem with that — I was really surprised!", Trump now defends himself.
"A derailed train": Trump insists on his attack
Beyond political differences, in his publication, the president devoted a lengthy passage of his message to questioning the judgment and stability of the businessman.
The criticism also included mentions of what Trump sees as conflicts of interest in Musk's environment, particularly his attempt to appoint a personal friend as the director of NASA.
"Elon asked one of his close friends to lead NASA, and while I thought his friend was very capable, I was surprised to learn that he was a staunch Democrat who had never contributed to a Republican before. I also found it inappropriate for a very close friend of Elon, who was in the space business, to head NASA, especially when NASA is such a significant part of Elon's corporate life," he said.
In Trump's own words, what is at stake today is not just the control of his party or a market, but the system itself.
"My primary responsibility is to protect the American people!", he concluded his latest tirade against the richest man in the world.
Tesla is wobbling and investors are reacting
The clash of titans quickly took its toll on the markets. Tesla's shares fell by more than 7% on Monday following Trump's statements.
Investors and analysts are concerned about Musk's return to politics, which could divert his attention from business at a critical moment for the company.
"Investors are growing tired of the distraction at a time when the company needs Musk's attention more than ever," warned Jed Dorsheimer, an analyst at William Blair.
Tesla is going through a rough patch: sales decline for the second consecutive quarter, increasing competition from Chinese manufacturers like BYD and protests over Musk's decisions during his time in government.
According to experts, his new political venture could exacerbate the wear on his corporate image and directly impact relations with the federal government on issues such as environmental regulation, subsidies, AI, and space exploration.
Does the America Party have a future?
So far, the America Party has not been formally registered with the Federal Election Commission, but Musk has hinted that he could fund strategic candidates to influence Congress.
His intention would be to disrupt the traditional balance between Republicans and Democrats by supporting independent figures aligned with his ideology.
What began as a symbiotic collaboration between the richest man in the world and the most controversial president in the U.S. has turned into an open war of statements, accusations, and collateral damage.
And while it is still early to assess the consequences of this conflict, everything indicates that neither Trump nor Musk is willing to back down.
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