Elon Musk’s move to launch a third party has been met with enthusiasm on Chinese social media, where many are reveling in the spectacle of the Tesla tycoon’s ongoing public feud with President Donald Trump.
Chinese authorities, who typically steer clear of commenting on U.S. political infighting, have made no official statements, though government censors have allowed lively discussions to remain online.
Why It Matters
Musk announced the formation of the “America Party” Saturday, following through on his promise to launch a third party if Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed in the Senate. The erstwhile Trump ally has blasted the legislation—which the Congressional Budget Office projects will add $2.4 trillion to the national debt over the next decade—as wasteful.
Since Trump’s first term, the U.S.’ intensifying rivalry with China has spilled onto social media. Chinese state media and officials have highlighted chaotic scenes from the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations and ongoing anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles—as well as instances of police brutality—to support Beijing’s narrative of the deterioration of Western liberal democracy, and American politics in particular.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese embassy in the U.S. via email, the White House, and X, formerly Twitter, for comment outside of office hours.
What To Know
As of press time, posts with the hashtag “#Musk wants to establish the American Party” had garnered more than 68 million views on Weibo, China’s X-like social platform.
Many users delighted in the spectacle of the rift between the U.S. president and the world’s richest man, which reached a fever pitch last month.
“Love and hate—so exciting!” one wrote.
Others voiced admiration for Musk, who has long been celebrated in China for his pioneering influence in science and technology.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press
“Comrade Musk! If the Americans want to leave you without a country, then just become a citizen of our great China,” one netizen said.
“He is not loyal to anyone. He is not loyal to power or the powerful. He is only loyal to himself—loyal to his own faith and judgment about the progress of human civilization,” said another.
One Weibo user, referencing Musk’s ambitions for manned missions to Mars, called on SpaceX to “set up a party branch” on the red planet.
Another user likened Musk, Trump’s Republican Party, and the Democrats to the warring factions at the end of China’s Han dynasty—immortalized in the classic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms—and quipped that he’d send Musk a copy.
Other netizens pointed to the daunting odds that any third party faces in U.S. politics.
“Fun fact: There are hundreds of big and small political parties in the U.S., so one more ‘American Party’ from Musk wouldn’t make a difference,” one user wrote on the video-sharing site Bilibili.
Another warned Musk could find himself at risk of deportation for running afoul of Trump.
“If ICE ever took action, the leader of the American Party would be the first to get arrested,” one netizen wrote, in reference to the sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have detained not only undocumented immigrants, but also legal residents and, in some cases, U.S. citizens.
On July 1 Trump told reporters he would “have to look at” deporting Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from South Africa.
What People Have Said
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and former director of DOGE, wrote on X: “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste and graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”
President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday: “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks. He even wants to start a third political party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States. The system seems not designed for them.”
What’s Next
Musk will face major structural hurdles in his bid to build a viable third party, from ballot access requirements that vary by state to exclusion from nationally televised debates. There are currently only two independent lawmakers in Congress, both of whom caucus with the Democratic Party.
