The clash between Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump reached new heights over the weekend after Musk announced launch of his political party, prompting a fiery response from the president.
Trump lashed out on Sunday, calling Musk a “train wreck” and ridiculing the tech billionaire’s idea of forming the so-called “America Party” as “ridiculous.”
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “It’s always been a two-party system. Third parties have never worked. He can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
Musk, for his part, responded with a jab of his own.
Quoting a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Trump’s criticism, Musk claimed he had “never heard” of Truth Social, Trump’s own social media platform where the remarks were made.
The spat marks a dramatic turn in a once-close relationship. Musk previously served as head of the now-defunct “Department of Government Efficiency,” a Trump-era initiative focused on slashing federal spending. But relations soured following disagreements over Trump’s expansive tax and spending bill, which Musk has since denounced.
On Saturday, Musk announced plans to form a new political party aimed at disrupting what he called the “one-party system” of American governance.
In a post on X, he argued that both Republicans and Democrats were complicit in driving up national debt through unchecked domestic spending.
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk wrote.