Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued Monday that billionaire Elon Musk could set the nation on a new course — but not by starting a new political party.
“I think Washington needs to be overhauled 100%, but I just don’t think a third party is going to do it,” DeSantis said at a press conference in Jacksonville, referring to Musk’s intention to launch the cost-cutting focused “America Party.”
The Sunshine State governor and former GOP presidential primary candidate warned that if Musk-backed candidates vie against Republicans in competitive state races, Democrats will be the ones winning elections.
“The problem is, when you do another party, especially if you’re running on some of the issues that he talks about, you know, that would end up, if he funds Senate candidates and House candidates in competitive races, that would likely end up meaning the Democrats would win all the competitive Senate and House races,” DeSantis, 46, said.
“I’m a Republican … I don’t want to see that happen,” he added.
DeSantis weighed in on Musk’s effort to launch an alternative to the two-party system at the end of a nearly hour-long press conference on education. The governor’s remarks were not prompted by reporters.
DeSantis praised the Tesla, SpaceX, Starlink and X chief as “one of the most innovative entrepreneurs … probably in world history” and said he appreciated Musk’s efforts to help President Trump and Republicans ahead of the 2024 election and rein in government waste, fraud and abuse as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
“I think he’s got a lot more left in the tank,” he said, suggesting that Musk should support efforts to add balanced budget and term limit amendments to the Constitution, rather than start a new party.
“Honestly, if you’re concerned about the debt … I don’t think just electing a few better people is going to change the trajectory,” DeSantis argued. “We need the incentives in Washington that are going to lead to these outcomes really regardless of the outcome of elections at this point.”
The governor noted that dozens of states, under Article V of the Constitution, have formally petitioned Congress to draft a balanced budget amendment, and argued that if Musk were to support those efforts, he would have a “monumental impact.”
“I’m a believer in trying to work this stuff out through the Republican process … but I think even more than that, doing these amendments — which are within our grasp — it doesn’t require Congress,” DeSantis said.
“You can do it through Article V and do it through the states … that would have a huge impact on the trajectory of the country.”
Musk announced the formation of the America Party in response to GOP lawmakers passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law on July 4.
The megabill is set to add $3.9 trillion to the nation’s debt over the next 10 years, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Musk, 54, has fumed that the legislation makes a “mockery of the work” done by his DOGE team to rein in the deficit.
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