Musk vs Trump season 2: Tesla boss reveals his American Party's No 1 priority

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made it clear that one of the top priorities of his newly launched political movement, the America Party, will be the public release of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Musk intensified his criticism of President Donald Trump, questioning his failure to release Epstein-related documents. "How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files?" Musk wrote.

When an X user asked whether uncovering Epstein’s secrets would be a high priority for the America Party, Musk responded with a “��” emoji—signaling a resounding yes.



Epstein, who was facing federal charges for sex trafficking, died in a New York jail cell in 2019 under suspicious circumstances that have fueled years of speculation and conspiracy theories.

Earlier this week, Musk further trolled Trump, posting an image labeled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter”—with all zeros—alongside the caption: "What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again."


Musk’s public fallout with Trump appears to be escalating rapidly. After Republicans passed a controversial policy bill backed by Trump, Musk vowed to support primary challengers against GOP members who voted in favor. In response, Trump lashed out on Truth Social, dismissing the America Party as “ridiculous” and Musk as a “train wreck.”

“He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States,” Trump wrote. “The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of COMPLETE and TOTAL DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”

According to The Hill, Musk launched the America Party after polling X users about their desire to break free from the “two-party (some would say uniparty) system.” He wrote: "When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy. Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom."

The Musk-Trump rift marks a dramatic shift in their relationship. Trump had previously praised Musk’s cost-cutting efforts and even awarded him a symbolic “gold key” to the White House. At one point, Musk held a role within the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with an office in the West Wing and participation in Cabinet meetings.

Now, Trump has hinted at using the same agency to target Musk’s companies and even floated the idea of deporting the South African-born billionaire.