Is Elon’s America Party really a threat to Republicans?

Over the Fourth of July weekend, billionaire inventor and political provocateur Elon Musk posted the following poll on X:

The survey followed a public clash between Musk and Trump, ignited by Musk's sharp criticism of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he slammed as a shield for bureaucratic excess.

The poll’s strong support spurred Musk to then declare the creation of a new political party. On July 5, he unveiled the “America Party,” vowing it would “give you back your freedom” and challenge the entrenched "one-party system."

Conservatives, even those who share Musk’s frustrations, are concerned, however, that the formation of a new party might actually backfire and end up benefiting Democrats by splitting the conservative vote.

To get clarity on whether or not Musk’s new party can legitimately hurt Republicans, “Blaze News: The Mandate’s” Jill Savage asked Blaze News senior politics editor Christopher Bedford to unpack the possibilities.

“It definitely hurts. … Third parties are like wasps. They can sting once, but then they die. That sting can be painful,” says Bedford, referring to a famous line by historian Richard Hofstadter.

And the damage it causes will likely be for naught. Musk’s “biggest mistake,” he says, is “his assumption that in the most polarized time of the last 100 years … that there's some broad 80% coalition looking to get behind libertarianism.”

“Twitter polls are not real, actual reads of what people will vote on and what people are upset about,” he says.

While Bedford doubts Musk will pursue this at the presidential level, he is concerned about his party targeting Senate races, where third parties can sway outcomes by a small margin (like Michigan, where a third-party candidate’s 1.8% vote share tipped a race). This could hurt Republicans by splitting their votes, he warns.

More than likely, though, Musk is risking hurting himself more than anyone else. If there’s still potential for him to be a key figure in the Republican party — and Bedford thinks there is, especially if JD Vance succeeds Trump — Musk is risking blowing that opportunity by continuing to show “how quickly he can turn.”

He’s “somebody [who] goes from a savior … ‘we're best friends forever’ to ‘I hate you, you're a pedophile, and I'm going to do everything I can to undermine you,'” says Bedford.

This mercurial quality Elon has is also the very thing that makes him the mad genius he is, says Jill. “Elon is a disruptor at heart. This is what he does. He can't just come in and play by the rules that are laid out in front of him.”

Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson agrees.

Unless he “backs off” of this idea, which is a possibility, “it's just going to cause a lot of harm to things that he himself is supposedly for,” says Peterson, adding that while some believe Musk’s party will cause “normie Democrats” to split from the “radicalized progressive party,” which would benefit Republicans, more than likely “this is a huge waste of time and resources.”

To hear more of the conversation, watch the video above.

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