- JD Vance advised Elon Musk to influence politics within the Republican Party
- Musk has not officially ruled out starting the America Party yet
- Vance believes a third party would limit Musk's political impact
US Vice President JD Vance has cautioned President Donald Trump's former "first buddy", Elon Musk, against forming a new political party, saying he will be able to wield greater influence by working within the Republican Party. The advice came amid reports claiming the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has tanked his plans of starting the America Party to focus on his companies. Per a report by the Wall Street Journal, Musk has not officially ruled out the idea, though, and may change his mind later.
"My advice to Elon would be to try to fix the Republican Party. Try to push it in your own way. Disagree with me all you want, disagree with the president of the United States, but don't pretend that you can make a big difference with a third party," the American VP said in an interview with Fox News.
"I think Elon would make a much bigger difference if he stayed loyal to President Trump's Republican Party, and if he had disagreements, express those disagreements from the inside as opposed from the outside,” he added.
Vance said he believes it would be a "huge mistake" for Elon to go forward with a third party, as after supporting Trump in the Presidential elections, he's perceived by the far left as on the side of the American right.
"You believe in law and order, you believe in closed borders, you believe in economic growth and prosperity, you believe in making things in the United States of America. The idea that Elon is ever going to go back to being sort of in the middle, where Democrats and Republicans both like him, that's just not going to happen. He is perceived as being on the American right," he added.
World's richest person Musk had announced his plans to launch the America Party in July, soon after Trump signed into law a sprawling domestic policy bill that the tech mogul has slammed over estimates that it will balloon the deficit. Taking to X, Trump had claimed that his new party would give people their “freedom” back in response to criticism about the two-party system.
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” he wrote.
