Trump says Elon Musk is 'off the rails' with his third-party effort

President Trump assailed Elon Musk on Sunday night, describing him as "off the rails" after Musk said he was creating a new political party amid an ongoing rift with the president."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.

"He even wants to start a Third Political Party, despite the fact that they have never succeeded in the United States.

" Musk's effort to create a new political party - the America Party - is the latest rupture in his ties with Trump. Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support Trump's presidential campaign, and Trump rewarded him with a wide-ranging position overseeing drastic cuts to govt staffing and contracts.

Their bond crumbled in a public spectacle last month, as Trump pushed his domestic policy bill through Congress. Musk panned the legislation as a "disgusting abomination." "Backing a candidate for president is not out of the question, but the focus for the next 12 months is on the House and the Senate," Musk wrote on X on Sunday. Trump has also threatened to cut billions of dollars in federal contracts and tax subsidies for Musk's companies.

Trump said Musk had opposed the legislation because it eliminated tax credits for EVs, 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!" Trump also said Musk was furious that he had pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman, who has twice launched to orbit in a SpaceX vehicle and is a close friend of Musk's, to run Nasa.

Trump withdrew the nomination after a White House official highlighted Isaacman had previously donated to prominent Democrats. Trump, who also has not walled off his or his family's business interests from govt, added: "I also thought it inappropriate that a very close friend of Elon, who was in the space business, run Nasa, when Nasa is such a big part of Elon's corporate life." Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said goals of Musk's past government cost-cutting effort were popular, but the billionaire himself was not.