Vance Urges Musk to Stay in GOP, Warns Against Third-Party Run

U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday urged billionaire Elon Musk to remain within the Republican Party, cautioning that a third-party bid would diminish his political influence.

“My advice to Elon would be to try to fix the Republican Party. Disagree with me, disagree with the president — but don’t pretend you can make a big difference with a third party,” Vance told Fox News. He argued Musk would have more sway by pressing his views inside former President Donald Trump’s GOP.

Vance’s comments came after a Wall Street Journal report that Musk had paused plans for his “America Party,” which he unveiled on X in July, framing it as an effort to restore Americans’ “freedom.” Criticizing the U.S. political system, Musk wrote: “When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.”

The vice president also noted Musk’s right-leaning reputation: “The idea that Elon is ever going to go back to the middle, where Democrats and Republicans both like him, that’s just not going to happen. He’s perceived as being on the American right.”

Speculation has grown over Musk’s potential role in the 2028 presidential race, though Vance said he has not discussed the matter with Musk or other donors.

Musk, once Trump’s largest campaign donor, has had a turbulent relationship with the former president. After a stint in Trump’s administration — where his aggressive cost-cutting drew criticism — Musk withdrew, later clashing publicly with Trump. Yet despite flirtations with a third-party movement, he continues to channel donations to Republican candidates.