Dawn
-
05:32 Jul 08, 2025
US President Donald Trump has shrugged off Elon Musk’s plans for a new political party as “ridiculous” — but the announcement underscored the threat the disaffected former ally poses to US Republicans defending paper-thin congressional majorities. Musk’s weekend launch of the “America Party” came in the wake of Trump signing into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that the tech mogul has slammed overestimates that it will balloon the deficit. Musk has been light on policy detail but is expected to target a handful of House and Senate seats in next year’s midterm elections, where the sitting Republican voted for Trump’s bill after preaching fiscal responsibility. “Elon Musk’s America Party is a wild card that could upend the midterms in 2026, particularly for Republicans,” said political analyst Matt Shoemaker, a former Republican congressional candidate and an ex-intelligence officer. “With bare majorities in Congress, the Republicans should be worried.” Musk, the world’s richest person, had teased the idea...