AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.
- The Democratic Party's top official says Elon Musk's third-party gambit shouldn't be taken lightly.DNC Chair Ken Martin said that Musk's "America Party" could be successful where others haven't.He pointed to Musk's wealth and broad dissatisfaction with the two-party system.
As Elon Musk pledges to form a new political party, the chair of the Democratic National Committee says it's worth taking seriously.
"I don't think we should take it lightly or just suspect — as many of these attempts in the past have failed — that it's going to fail," DNC Chair Ken Martin said on a Monday episode of "Endless Urgency," an online show hosted by Democratic operative Mike Nellis.
The chair laid out two key reasons why Musk's "America Party" could succeed: resources and frustration with both parties.
"You have the richest man in the world, who's going to dump a lot of money and resources trying to stand this up," Martin said. "And my sense of it is that there's definitely frustration in both parties right now with a two-party system, and it could be successful."
Musk spent nearly $300 million to elect President Donald Trump and other Republicans in 2024.
Martin also said that Musk's nascent efforts to create a new party were indicative of the divisions within Trump's coalition.
"It's laying bare that there are deep divisions within this Republican Party," Martin said. "There are the mega-Trumpers, and then there are the sort of conservative traditional Republicans, and then there's the sort of libertarian wing that has also creeped into their party."
The tech titan's political alliance with Trump culminated in the launching of DOGE, only to unravel in epic fashion after several months over Musk's objections to the "Big Beautiful Bill."
Musk has yet to formally register a new political party, but he wouldn't be the first prominent businessman to try to take on America's two-party system.
Trump has dismissed the idea, calling Musk a "train wreck" while saying that the American political system "seems not designed" for third parties.
That may be a mistake, according to Martin.
"I'm not sure how it will impact the elections in the future, but if Elon Musk is serious about this and he's going to dump in billions of dollars, it's going to have to be taken serious by both parties," the Democratic Party leader said.
