Musk said he wants to form the America Party. A third party has never won the presidency, but they have influenced elections, experts say — mostly as spoilers.

Musk described his new party on his platform X as tech-centric, budget-conscious, pro-energy and centrist, with the goal of drawing both disaffected Democrats and Republicans. Musk has criticized the tax-cut bill, which is forecast to add about $3.4 trillion to the United States' debt.

As a rule, third party candidates don’t win in the United States. Then again, a third-party bid has never had the backing of the world’s richest man.