Chinese regime-approved experts quoted by the country’s state media outlets warned Beijing-friendly billionaire Elon Musk that “entrenched systems cannot be uprooted by idealism alone” on Sunday after Musk announced that he had created a new political party.
Musk, who departed his brief stint in the White House in an uproar in June, condemning President Donald Trump’s promotion of the now-passed “Big Beautiful Bill” – has spent much of the past month criticizing the Trump administration, allegedly for enabling too much government spending. Trump retorted that the true objection Musk has to his signature legislation is that it would significantly reduce government subsidies for his electric vehicle company, Tesla. At the height of the feud, Musk stopped addressing his policy grievances and instead accused Trump of potential pedophilic activities linked to Jeffrey Epstein; he has since deleted those statements from social media.
Musk continued his criticism of the bill even as it passed Congress and reached Trump’s desk on Saturday. He redirected his criticism to the greater Republican Party, however, and asked users of his social media site if they would support a third party. On Saturday, Musk announced that he had created the “America Party.”
CNBC News noted that it is not clear what Musk meant by the America Party being “formed,” as it did not at the time appear as a registered party under the Federal Election Committee (FEC). It quoted Musk saying prior to his announcement that such a party could focus only on “just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts,” rather than attempting a nationwide takeover of two-party politics immediately.
China’s state media vehicles have traditionally showered Musk with positive coverage, returning the favor of years of support for the Communist Party from Musk through his investments in the country and effusive praise for Chinese workers suffering slave-like conditions in the nation’s factories. Coverage of the “America Party” in Xinhua and the Global Times did not criticize the idea of a third party, but offered measured support and tempered expectations that a third party led by the foreign-born, Communist Party-friendly billionaire would have much of an immediate impact on the political landscape.
“Political strategists suggest Musk’s announcement may be aimed more at pressuring lawmakers than building a durable third party,” Xinhua posited on Sunday, apparently dismissing the idea that the party has much of a future. The outlet claimed that “election-law experts note the high barriers to entry for new parties,” limiting its potential ambitions.
“Analysts say Musk’s move appears more like a high-profile bargaining tactic than the beginning of a major shake-up of the U.S. political system,” the article concluded.
Also on Sunday, the government-controlled Global Times published an article quoted several of its regular stable of experts who applauded Musk’s “idealism” but did not express any excitement for the immediate potential of the “America Party.”
“While US law poses no barriers to forming a new party, the real challenge lies in operationalizing it, and how to leverage political influence within the constraints of a two-party system and produce tangible impact,” professor Li Haidong was quoted as saying.
Li stated that Musk’s goal in creating the party was to help in “weakening the influence of Republican Party,” dominant under Trump, in anticipation of the 2026 midterm elections.
“His long-term ambition, however, aims at reshaping the US’ two-party system, as he views the current political structure not only incapable of addressing national crises but also exacerbating social inequality and moral decline,” he added.
Li ultimately concluded that “it is crucial to recognize that politics remains an arena of hard-nosed calculations and entrenched systems cannot be uprooted by idealism alone.”
President Trump has dismissed Musk’s efforts, calling them “ridiculous” and lamenting that the mogul had gone “completely ‘off the rails.’” The president described himself “saddened” to watch Musk, who he described as a “TRAIN WRECK” in a post on his website Truth Social.
“The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” Trump added.
Speaking to reporters this weekend, Trump reiterated that he believed it was “ridiculous to start a third party.”
“We have a tremendous success with the Republican Party. The Democrats have lost their way, but it’s always been a two-party system, and I think starting a third party just adds to confusion,” he explained, adding that Musk could “have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”
Chinese state media was largely supportive of Musk’s criticism of the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Citing another “expert,” research fellow Lü Xiang, the Global Times lamented that the bill would “not only affect Musk’s EV giant, but signals a major veering of US energy policy: touting US fossil fuels while suppressing its own clean energy sectors.” The Times independently cited experts condemning the bill for having the potential to “significantly undermine global tax equity.”
Musk has throughout his career been complimentary of communist-run China and invested heavily in the country, particularly through investment in the Tesla Shanghai factory. Tesla also boasts a showroom in Urumqi, the capital of occupied East Turkistan, where China is currently engaging in a genocide of indigenous people.
Shares of Tesla dropped in value by over seven percent on Monday following the announcement of the “America Party,” an indication that Musk’s continued meddling in American politics is fueling investor pessimism in his company.
“China rocks in my opinion. The energy in China is great. People there — there’s like a lot of smart, hard-working people,” Musk said in a 2020 interview. “And they’re really — they’re not entitled, they’re not complacent, whereas I see in the United States increasingly much more complacency and entitlement especially in places like the Bay Area, and L.A. and New York.”
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