There are emerging signs that Elon Musk and President Trump have reached a détente – well, at least for now.
The public bickering has stopped, tensions over Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ have faded, and both men have found common ground in backing the deployment of federal troops to curb violent crime across Washington, D.C., after DOGE’s ‘Big Balls’ was injured in an attack.
Now, a new report from the Wall Street Journal, citing sources, says Musk has dialed back plans to launch a political party to challenge Trump ahead of next year’s midterms.
Recall that Musk had called for the ‘America First Party’ to challenge the Washington ‘uniparty’ following Trump’s passage of the BBB in early July. He was also infuriated by the failure to codify a broad range of DOGE cuts.
The tit-for-tat social media fight between Musk and Trump was fierce between June and July:
Here are key points from the WSJ report (citing sources):
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Focus on Tesla/SpaceX & GOP Ties: Musk is prioritizing his companies and preserving his relationship with Vice President JD Vance, seen as Trump’s political successor. He has privately admitted forming a party could strain that alliance.
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Future Support for Vance: Musk is considering channeling financial support into Vance’s potential 2028 presidential run, after spending nearly $300 million to back Trump and Republicans in 2024.
An excerpt from WSJ:
As he has considered launching a party, the Tesla chief executive officer has been focused in part on maintaining ties with Vice President JD Vance, who is widely seen as a potential heir to the MAGA political movement. Musk has stayed in touch with Vance in recent weeks, and he has acknowledged to associates that if he goes ahead with forming a political party, he would damage his relationship with the vice president, the people said.
Musk and his associates have told people close to him that he is considering using some of his vast financial resources to back Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028, some of the people said. Musk spent close to $300 million to support Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election.
WSJ was careful to note that Musk or his team didn’t respond to requests for comment. So it’s only a matter of time before Musk comments about the story on X.
Interestingly, WSJ sources reported that the America First Party canceled meetings with third-party organizers, including notable figures such as Andrew Yang and Mark Cuban. Yang and Cuban are weak men in the era of ‘MAGA’ – probably for the best.
Steven Nekhaila, chair of the Libertarian National Committee, confirmed to WSJ that Musk’s team has had an “eerie silence” and “doesn’t seem like anything has been in action, neither at the state level or at the ground level.”
Was Musk’s America First Party merely political theater, as the billionaire pivoted from neutering the Democratic Party through DOGE strike teams in federal agencies back to the private sector, aiming not to alienate customers amid weakening Tesla sales?
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