A day after Elon Musk announced the launch of a new political party called the America Party, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Musk should focus on managing his companies instead of getting involved in politics.

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Bessent said, “The principles of Doge were very popular – I think if you looked at the polling Elon was not.” He was referring to the Department of Government Efficiency, or “Doge”, which Musk led briefly after Donald Trump started his second presidential term in January.

During his time in that role, Musk pushed through deep budget cuts and job losses across several government departments. The harsh measures didn’t sit well with the public and drew widespread criticism. The sales at Tesla also dropped, and investors were reportedly unhappy with Musk’s split focus between his businesses and politics.

“So I believe that the boards of directors at his various companies wanted him to come back and run those companies,” Bessent said. “I imagine that those boards of directors did not like this announcement yesterday, and will be encouraging him to focus on his business activities, not his political activities.”

TRUMP CALLS MUSK’S NEW POLITICAL PARTY ‘RIDICULOUS’

President Donald Trump said on Sunday that billionaire Elon Musk’s move to start a new US political party is ridiculous and could add to confusion.

“I think it’s ridiculous to start a third party,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey. “Starting a third party just adds to confusion… He can have fun with it, but I think it’s ridiculous.”

MUSK ATTACKS TRUMP’S SPENDING BILL

Musk announced that he is launching “America Party” on Saturday night with posts on his platform X. He criticised both political parties and went after Donald Trump’s new tax and spending bill.

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” Musk posted. “Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

Musk has repeatedly criticised Trump’s economic policies. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill Trump signed would raise the US deficit by $3.3 trillion by 2034. The bill includes large tax cuts for the rich and cuts to welfare programs, which could cause millions of Americans to lose their health coverage.

The relationship between Musk and Trump has become tense. After Musk’s recent attacks on Trump’s policies, Trump responded by suggesting he might “look into” deporting the South African-born billionaire. Trump also hinted that he could reduce government contracts for Musk’s companies, including SpaceX.

“Doge is the monster that might have to go back and eat Elon. Wouldn’t that be terrible?” Trump joked to reporters earlier this week.

MUSK VOWS TO CHALLENGE US POLITICAL SYSTEM

Despite the controversy, Musk says his new party is serious. Although he shared few details, Musk hinted that the America Party would aim to influence Congress by focusing on a few key Senate and House races. He believes this could give the party enough votes to influence major laws.

“Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people,” he posted.

Musk also shared a poll on X asking followers whether they wanted to break away from the two-party system. He said the results showed two out of three voters supported the idea.

In later posts, Musk brought up his earlier feud with Trump, including a deleted post linking Trump’s name to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. He also questioned why only Ghislaine Maxwell was in prison and not others involved in underage sex crimes.

“There was no immediate comment from the White House,” the article noted, but the growing rift between Musk and Trump is clear.

Musk once poured over $275 million of his own money in order to help Trump win re-election. But now, with his new political party and sharp attacks on Trump’s policies, the two former allies have become political opponents.

– Ends

With inputs from Agencies

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