The America Party
Would Elon Musk’s America Party be good for American politics? Viewpoints from multiple sides.
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Quick announcement
We’ll be on a mid-summer hiatus over the next 3 weeks to enjoy some travel and recharge. I hope you’re able to find time for some summer adventure as well!
In the meantime, our partners at Braver Angels are hosting a national debate on July 31 at 8pm EST focused on Robert F Kennedy Jr’s healthcare policy agenda. It poses an interesting question: Do RFK Jr and the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement have the right approach to improving Americans' health, or do they unfairly discount the benefits of existing science and treatments?
If you’ve never been to a Braver Angels debate, it’s unlike any other – thoughtful, civil, and designed for active participation from folks across the political spectrum. I highly recommend checking one out. You can register for the July 31 event here.
While we’re on break, we'd love to hear any thoughts you have on this week’s edition, future topics requests, or anything else on your mind – feel free to reply!
See you again in 3 weeks.
Dylan
Snippets
Israel and Syria agreed to a ceasefire after Israeli forces struck targets in the Syrian capital of Damascus last week. The strikes were in response to the Syrian government’s intervention in clashes between the Druze and Bedouin groups in southern Syria that resulted in a reported 900+ killed – the Syrian government was blamed for joining in attacks on the Druze, a minority group with ties to Israel.
The Senate narrowly passed a rescissions package that would cut $9B in funding to public broadcasting and global aid programs. It will go to the House of Representatives for a final vote.
President Trump called for the release of grand jury testimony in the federal child sex trafficking case involving the late Jeffrey Epstein, following public calls for transparency regarding Trump’s past ties to Epstein. The Department of Justice formally filed the motion on Friday to unseal the transcripts.
Ukraine offered to engage in a new round of peace talks with Russia this week after the Kremlin said Putin was ready to move forward with negotiations while maintaining a focus on its primary war objectives. Last week, Trump threatened harsher sanctions on Russia if a peace deal was not reached within 50 days.
President Trump denied recent reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent talked him out of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Powell’s handling of interest rates and has repeatedly called for his departure, but said earlier this week it was “unlikely” he would fire him.
What’s happening
Earlier this month, Elon Musk announced plans to form a new political party named the America Party. Musk’s announcement was the culmination of a public distancing with President Trump after Musk, who donated $288M toward the election of Trump and other Republican candidates in 2024, left his position as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in May. The apparent impetus for Musk’s announcement was the signing of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) into law – Musk had been a vocal opponent of OBBBA, saying the bill’s tax breaks and government spending would add to the national deficit and “bankrupt the country.”
Why the America Party: Musk said he has formed the America Party to address the “waste & graft” in the current political system and represent the politics of the “80% in the middle” in the US.
It is currently unclear whether the America Party has been formally created or what the new party’s platform would fully encompass, but on X Musk agreed with appeals for the party to focus on reducing debt, modernizing the military with AI, decreasing regulation in energy among other areas, supporting pronatalism, and taking centrist positions elsewhere. Musk has said that the America Party’s strategy may be to focus its efforts on winning “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts” in Congress. Considering the tight margins in Congress, this number of seats could be enough to sway legislative outcomes. Musk said the America Party would caucus independently.
Third-party movements: The America Party would be the latest high-profile third-party movement in American history, joining the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Ross Perot’s Reform Party, George Wallace’s American Independent Party, and Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive/Bull Moose Party – among others – in challenging the political dominance of the Democratic and Republican parties over the past 165+ years. Since 1860, all US presidents have been either a Democrat or Republican. In Congress since 1900, only around 130 independent or third-party candidates have won a House or Senate election out of nearly 30,000 seat elections.
Following Musk’s announcement, debate has surfaced on the merits of political third parties in the US and the potential impact of the America Party on American politics. Today, we bring you the viewpoints from multiple sides. Let us know what you think.
Notable viewpoints
More supportive of forming the America Party:
Americans want a third major party to better represent political views in the US.
The current political party duopoly in the US needs to be overhauled, and a third major political party “would be good for America.” Americans agree on more political issues than we realize – particularly around the national deficit – and more US adults identify as political independents than ever before.
Opposing the formation of the America Party is undemocratic, as it ignores the prevailing feeling among many Americans that their politicians aren’t adequately representing their views. According to a 2024 Gallup poll, 58% of American adults say that a third major political party is needed because the Republican and Democratic parties do a poor job of representing the American people.
Even if the America Party fails, it is a necessary attempt toward breaking up the two-party political system that is increasingly alienating Americans. It is telling that – according to a Quantus Insights poll – 40% of registered voters say they’d be very likely or somewhat likely to vote for an America Party candidate.
The America Party could effect real change in the legislative branch.
Third parties have been ineffective in the US because they have traditionally been focused on presidential races, in which it is almost impossible for a third-party candidate to secure the necessary electoral votes to win. The America Party, however, in going after a handful of specific Senate and House seats, could win enough contests to gain serious leverage in Congress.
The announcement of the America Party highlights the importance of addressing the national deficit.
Musk is forming the America Party largely to address the national debt, which Musk says is an existential threat to the future of the US, and neither the Democratic nor the Republican party seems capable of solving this issue. The America Party may not become a meaningful movement, but it has brought attention to an important problem.
“Elon shares [a lot] in common with a lot of other folks I talk to who want to see some kind of middle ground or balance. The problem is: In our two-party system, you get whipsawed either one direction or the other… the deficit in spending, neither party has done a good job of addressing it, because as soon as they’re in power, they don’t want to make the tough choices.” (Andrew Yang, Forward Party.)
More opposed to forming the America Party:
Third parties are ineffective in American politics.
Throughout US history, third parties have not succeeded politically and have been largely irrelevant. In fact, during elections, third-party candidates have traditionally helped candidates that are most opposed to the third-party movement win elections.
There is no need for a new political party. There are already 55+ political “third parties” that have ballot access in at least one US state, and 65M registered voters in the US are neither Democrats nor Republicans. What Musk wants to do with the America Party isn’t novel – there are already third parties for almost any political belief system, and yet Americans still do not feel compelled enough to vote for them.
Without larger electoral reforms, a third major party would hurt the American political system.
In the current system of single-winner plurality elections in the US, third parties do not have a legitimate chance to win, and at best can play as occasional spoilers. Moreover, the weakening of the two major political parties by unserious third parties could lead to a chaotic political system that ultimately hurts American democracy. Creating a sustainable multiparty system requires larger voting reforms like instituting fusion voting and proportional representation.
“A bona fide third party – without ranked choice voting up and down the ballot – would destabilize the American political system, increasing opportunities for minority rule or dysfunctional, tenuous governing coalitions.” (Bill Scher, Washington Monthly.)
Americans don’t actually want a centrist third party.
Americans say they love the idea of third parties, but don’t actually want to vote for a centrist party that occupies a political space between Democrats and Republicans. One 2024 study found that disaffected partisans (i.e., those that are disillusioned with their political party) are just as polarized in their views as those who aren’t disaffected, and would not necessarily converge to a centrist party.
Two-thirds of Americans may be part of the “exhausted majority” who are tired of political polarization, want compromise, and feel that neither the Republican nor Democratic parties are listening to them. But this does not mean Americans want a moderate middle in political policies, as these tired voters do not actually agree on many issues. Without any true alignment around political ideologies, any third major party would rely upon the personality and rhetoric of its leader for purpose, which lends itself to “demagoguery” and poorly-run political coalitions.
Be heard
We want to hear from you! Comment below with your perspective on the America Party and we may feature it in our socials or future editions. Below are topic ideas to consider.
Do you think the America Party would be good or bad for US politics?
What are some arguments or supporting points you appreciate about a viewpoint you disagree with?
Give us your feedback! Please let us know how we can improve.
Music on the bottom
Geese is another band that is insanely talented and the right amount of weird – go see them live if you can. This is their latest song, “Taxes.” - Dylan
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or Amazon Music.
Instead of starting a new political party to force its policies, let's focus our energy on listening to each other, finding common ground solutions, and advocating those ideas for our leaders to implement. Join the Braver Angels movement on a way forward!