Musk Abandons Third-Party Plan, Gravitates Toward VP Vance: Report
A new report indicates that Elon Musk is rethinking his plans to launch a new political party and is instead focused on building connections with the individual he sees as a potential successor to the MAGA movement.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Tesla CEO is reducing his efforts on the “America Party” that he unofficially launched on July 5, after users on X indicated support for the venture in an unscientific poll.
However, actual polling data revealed that the public was not as enthusiastic about the idea. CNN polling expert Harry Enten dismissed the America Party as “dead on arrival” after the network’s data indicated that Musk’s personal approval rating plummeted by 55 points in just four months.
In addition to the lack of broad public support, the Journal noted that Musk hasn’t been able to connect with any “prominent individuals who have voiced support for the idea of a new party or could be a crucial resource to help it get off the ground.”
In light of this, Musk appears to be choosing Vice President JD Vance as a likely successor to President Donald Trump.
“Musk has stayed in touch with Vance in recent weeks, and he has acknowledged to associates that if he goes ahead with forming a political party, he would damage his relationship with the vice president,” the Journal’s Brian Schwartz reported.
Schwartz added, “Musk and his associates have told people close to him that he is considering using some of his vast financial resources to back Vance if he decides to run for president in 2028, some of the people said. Musk spent close to $300 million to support Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election.”
Musk’s move back to the GOP actually began earlier this month when he donated $5 million to two major super PACs that support Republicans in the House and Senate. According to fresh campaign finance disclosures submitted on Thursday, Musk became the biggest individual contributor to both organizations in the first half of 2025.
On the same day, he sent $5 million to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc.
In the meantime, Musk invested $45.3 million in his own super PAC during the first half of this year, according to other recent campaign finance disclosures. In addition to sending $27.4 million in in-kind donations, the tech tycoon handed the group close to $17.9 million.
Musk also provided funding for million-dollar rewards for voters who signed petitions.
In the first half of the year, America PAC spent $47.3 million, including $15.5 million during the first week of April, when the organization was significantly involved in the Florida special House elections and the Wisconsin state Supreme Court elections on April 1.
In addition to spending a few million dollars on digital advertisements, mailers, and phone calls, the group reported spending $6 million on field operations and canvassing.
Elon Musk isn’t done influencing Republican politics. He’s the biggest donor to GOP super PACs focused on House and Senate races so far this year. https://t.co/WPNHiswYKD
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 1, 2025
The full extent of Musk’s contributions in the first half of 2025 is still unknown because many other political organizations are exempt from disclosing their contributors, and super PACs will continue to submit fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission on Thursday before a midnight filing deadline.
In the 2024 election, Musk donated over a quarter of a billion dollars, mostly to help Trump’s campaign.
The America PAC report on Thursday includes information on expenditures and fundraising from January 1 to June 30. It’s unclear if Musk’s July commitment to launch a new political party—which occurred after the time frame covered by the new report—had anything to do with his super PAC.
