Elon Musk threatens Republicans with primary challenges, new party, if they pass the "Big Beautiful Bill".

 

Elon Musk. USA Today/AFP/Getty.

Elon Musk has threatened Republicans with primary challenges and a new third party if they pass the "Big Beautiful Bill". USA Today. Musk led that Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but his relationship with Republicans fractured in a highly public feud with President Trump over the bill. Musk then attempted to repair relations with both, publicly apologizing for his actions. However, Musk doubled down on criticism of the bill, saying it would add trillions of dollars to the deficit. Musk had said that he would cut back on political spending but to fund primary challenges and start a new party would cost millions of dollars. 

If this insane spending bill passes, the America Party will be formed the next day.

Our country needs an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty so that the people actually have a VOICE.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 30, 2025

My Comment:

I am guessing Musk's true objection to this bill is that it cuts green energy subsidies, including those that make his Tesla cars potentially worth buying. His cars are fairly expensive and the tax break you get when you buy one makes them dramatically more affordable. Right now you can get a $7500 tax credit for buying a new EV and a $4000 one for a used one. Musk's other companies also benefit from credits and loans that would be eliminated with these bills. Given that Tesla's bottom line was hurt pretty dramatically after joining DOGE he is probably pretty furious that Republicans included this in their bill. 

Does Musk actually care about the deficit? Probably. He did join DOGE to cut government waste and critically, none of the cuts he made were made permanent by the BBB. Because it's a budget bill, they can't actually do that. Regardless, I do think that Musk does have a point that we need to stop spending massive amounts of money we don't have on nonsense we don't need. 

But Musk is making perfect the enemy of good. Sometimes you have to settle with what you get and though this bill increases the deficit (possibly, Trump argues that the tax breaks will fuel growth, and it's hard to argue with that) it does make quite a few good cuts. It's the same problem I am seeing with the Gun community, who are upset that the Suppressor and Short Barreled Rifle regulations were dropped, even though the bill does get rid of the $200 tax on both. Many times it's a lot better to take any win you can get instead of holding out for a total victory which is extremely unlikely. 

And I don't think Musk understands the political implications of not passing this bill. Should the bill fail and the Trump tax cuts go away, I know I would be furious. Those tax cuts increased my take home pay fairly dramatically, and that's ignoring the "no tax on tips/overtime" credits that are in the bill too. Increasing taxes right before a midterm is a great way to lose that midterm and I am guessing that the damage that would cause would be way worse than anything Elon Musk can do with his billions of dollars. 

I also don't think there is a lot of real desire for a third party who only seems to care about fiscal discipline. Folks care a lot more about Trump's other priorities, including the economy, foreign policy and the fight against "wokeness", ie leftist cultural issues. Indeed, it's strange to see Musk wanting a third party that could split the Republican vote, given that would give the 2026 midterms to the Democrats, who have proven to not be able to handle any of those things. Especially since his son, now "daughter", had his life ruined over the "woke mind virus", in Musk's own words. I can't see a single voter from the Democrats supporting him as well, so the best case scenario would be an "also ran" party that would only damage Republicans. 

As for challenging incumbents, that is probably where any real change would happen. Some of the Republicans in both the House and Senate are vulnerable to a primary challenge, but again, this seems counterproductive. Primary challenges drain resources that would better be used against in the fight against the Democrats in 2026, a fight that Republicans could win if Musk doesn't screw it up. 

However, I am not sure how serious Musk is about any of this. He is mercurial at best, and may have some mental health issues as well. Indeed, he attempted to blow up his relations with Trump earlier in the month and once he calmed down he realized that he had made a major mistake. It's very possible that nothing will happen at all after the bill passes (and it looks like it will make it to the reconciliation process at least). 

Musk would be wise to try and influence the party from within, not from without. The Republicans are a "big tent" party right now and there is more than enough room for the fiscal hawks in the party. If he is serious about making an enemy out of the party, he is going to realize that he doesn't have any friends left, as there is no way that the Democrats will ever let him back on board.