US President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House on May 30, 2025, in Washington. Photo: VCG

 
US President Donald Trump assailed Elon Musk on Sunday night, describing him as "off the rails" after the tech billionaire said he was creating a new political party amid an ongoing rift with the president, according to The New York Times. Later, Musk responded to Trump's post on social media X, citing a famous line from the classic science fiction novel Dune by American novelist Frank Herbert in his comments: "Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total Obliteration."

"I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday evening. "He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States."

Musk announced Saturday that "the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," following an online poll he launched earlier in the week that showed strong support for a new political force.

The move follows the passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill, which cuts electric vehicle incentives and increases federal spending. These are measures that Musk, whose company Tesla benefits from EV subsidies, has opposed, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Trump said Sunday night that Musk had opposed the legislation because it eliminated the electric vehicle mandate, which would have been a boon for Tesla, one of Musk's companies. "I have campaigned on this for two years and, quite honestly, when Elon gave me his total and unquestioned Endorsement, I asked him whether or not he knew that I was going to terminate the EV Mandate — It was in every speech I made, and in every conversation I had," Trump wrote in his post. "He said he had no problems with that — I was very surprised!"

"I think it's 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," Trump told reporters, the Reuters reported Monday.

"It really seems to have been developed for two parties. Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it, but I think it's ridiculous."

Global Times