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What Musk’s fracture with Trump means for GOP’s future: ‘Beating heart of the Republican Party’
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From «super genius» to «CRAZY,» President Donald Trump has changed his tune about SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a matter of months, while the tech mogul has backpedaled his support for the Republican Party and called for a new, third American political party instead.
Musk unveiled the creation of the so-called «America Party» after Trump signed into law his massive tax and domestic policy bill, which Musk staunchly opposed due to concerns that it would increase the federal deficit.
«Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom,» Musk said in a July 5 X post.
While there is an appetite for a third party in the U.S., Musk’s so-called America Party is not likely to pick up steam and the tech mogul would have better luck driving reforms in the Republican Party, according to experts.
«Elon’s effort will go nowhere,» Republican strategist Matt Gorman said in an email to Fox News Digital. «But I don’t doubt it’ll make a lot of consultants rich in the process.»
TRUMP SAYS DOGE ‘MONSTER’ MAY HAVE TO ‘EAT ELON’ AS MUSK VOWS PRIMARY ADS FOR LAWMAKERS WHO CROSS HIM ON BBB
From «super genius» to «CRAZY,» President Donald Trump has changed his tune about SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a matter of months. (Nathan Howard/File Photo/Reuters)
Meanwhile, Gorman said candidates undoubtedly would prefer an endorsement from Trump over financial backing from Musk – the largest donor in the 2024 election cycle who contributed approximately $295 million to Republicans.
«If given a choice between a Trump endorsement or $20 million in ads from Elon, it’s not even a contest,» said Gorman, who previously served as the communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee. «They’d take the Trump endorsement every single time.»
Political columnist Kristin Tate said that while Musk was helpful in driving public support from wealthy Silicon Valley Americans for Trump, it’s unlikely these same tech leaders would abandon Trump and follow Musk instead.
«Trump is the beating heart of the Republican Party right now,» Tate said in an email to Fox News Digital.
«Elon Musk would be better off trying to shape politics from within the Republican Party,» Tate said. «A third party effort is doomed to fail. Most of President Trump’s supporters see the effort as hostile to Trump and will not support Musk. Meanwhile, all Democrat voters have been conditioned to despise Musk, so they will not support him either.»
REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS STAND FIRM AGAINST MUSK’S ‘KILL THE BILL’ ASSAULT ON TRUMP’S AGENDA
«Elon Musk would be better off trying to shape politics from within the Republican Party,» Kristin Tate said. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Tate said Trump and Musk should attempt to repair their relationship because «both men bring something important and unique to the GOP.
«By leaving Trump, and the GOP generally, Musk will chisel off a small fraction of Republican Party voters – a fraction that will not be nearly big enough for his new party to win elections, but could be a spoiler for Democrats in elections with extremely tight margins,» Tate said.
Alex Keyssar, a history professor at Harvard Kennedy School of public policy, said that given dissatisfaction with the two-party system right now, it’s possible that more third-party candidates could win state and local elections. But it’s unclear if that would translate over to national elections because the rules governing elections and who may appear on ballots pose additional limitations for those candidates, he said.
«There’s a lot of popular sentiment looking for something else that is creating pressures for a third party,» Keyssar told Fox News Digital. «In that sense, Elon Musk is on to something.»
Still, voters don’t appear interested in a third party affiliated with Musk. While 49% of U.S. voters said they would consider joining a third party, 77% said they weren’t on board if Musk created it, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday.
MUSK DOES IMMEDIATE 180 ON TRUMP AS SOON AS LA RIOTS RAGE
Elon Musk’s relationship with President Donald Trump first started to unravel, at least publicly, in May toward the end of Musk’s tenure overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
Musk’s relationship with Trump first started to unravel, at least publicly, in May toward the end of Musk’s tenure overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Shortly after Musk’s exit from DOGE, the two traded barbs over the «big, beautiful bill,» where Musk said Trump wouldn’t have won the 2024 election without his backing. Likewise, Trump accused Musk of going «CRAZY» over cuts to the electric vehicle credits that benefit companies like Tesla, and said Musk had been «wearing thin.»
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Meanwhile, Trump isn’t counting on Musk’s political party taking off anytime soon, and told reporters July 6 that he believed another party «just adds to confusion.»
«Third parties have never worked, so he can have fun with it – but I think it’s ridiculous,» Trump said.
INTERNACIONAL
Iran continues firing missiles, drones at neighboring states, with multiple interceptions reported
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Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Thursday, with explosions reported in the region and Tehran threatening that the U.S. would «bitterly regret» sinking an Iranian warship.
Iran’s strikes on Thursday targeted Israel, American bases and countries in the region. Israel announced multiple incoming missile attacks as air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense on Thursday said Iran used unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in an attack on Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure. The ministry said the details of the attack and the capabilities of the UAVs were being investigated.
«The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan strongly condemns the attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against civilian infrastructure on the territory of Azerbaijan in the absence of any military necessity. The Islamic Republic of Iran bears the entire responsibility for the incident,» the ministry’s statement read.
Explosions seen and heard in Azerbaijan as Iran launches retaliatory attacks across the Middle East. (East2West)
Iran has not acknowledged targeting Azerbaijan, despite the country’s ministry of defense pointing the finger at Tehran.
Qatar evacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha on Thursday, with its Ministry of Defense confirming that the country was «subjected to a missile attack» and that its air defense systems were able to intercept it. The ministry urged the public to remain calm and avoid unofficial information.
Abu Dhabi announced that its authorities were responding to an incident involving falling debris in ICAD 2, which is part of the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi. Six people, identified by Abu Dhabi as Pakistani and Nepali nationals, suffered minor to moderate injuries.
A plume of smoke rises over buildings in Doha, Qatar, on March 5, 2026. (Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images)
FORMER TOPGUN PILOT DECLARES IRAN MILITARY ‘OVER WITH’ AMID US AIR SUPERIORITY, BUT WARNS OF ANOTHER DANGER
Iran has carried out retaliatory strikes since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, with the latest wave coming one day after the U.S. sunk an Iranian warship, killing at least 87 Iranian sailors. Sri Lankan navy spokesman Cmdr. Buddhika Sampath said 32 people were rescued from the wreck and were admitted to a hospital.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the move during a news briefing at the Pentagon.
«An American submarine sunk an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters. Instead, it was sunk by a torpedo — Quiet Death. The first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II. Like in that war, back when we were still the War Department, we are fighting to win,» Hegseth said.
Missile interceptions are seen in the sky on March 5, 2026, in Central Israel. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
ISRAEL’S MILITARY RELEASES VIDEO SHOWING OBLITERATION OF IRAN’S MISSILE LAUNCHERS, DEFENSE SYSTEMS
Iranian leaders condemned the attack, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accusing the U.S. Navy of committing «an atrocity at sea.» Meanwhile, Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli appeared on state television and called for the shedding of Israeli and «Trump’s blood.»
«Fight the oppressive America, his blood is on my shoulders,» he said in a rare call for violence from an ayatollah, one of the highest ranks within the clergy of Shiite Islam.
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The U.S. and Israel launched the war on Saturday with strikes targeting Iran’s leadership, including the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed. Iran’s missile arsenal and nuclear facilities were also hit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
‘Outsider’ TV veteran jumps into swing state House race aiming to flip longtime red seat back to GOP
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FIRST ON FOX: Longtime West Michigan meteorologist Terri DeBoer is launching a run for Congress as a Republican, hoping to represent the state’s 3rd Congressional District in a campaign centered on border security, economic issues and what she called restoring «fiscal sanity» in Washington.
«I’m an outsider,» DeBoer told Fox News Digital in her first interview since becoming a candidate for Congress as a Republican running to unseat Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., who has held the seat since 2023.
«I am a West Michigan resident, and as an outsider, I believe that West Michigan is not blue, West Michigan is not red. West Michigan is all about solving the problems that we face, no matter who has those ideas, no matter what side of the aisle they happen to sit on.»
DeBoer has spent more than 30 years on West Michigan television, working at stations including WWMT-TV, WOOD-TV and most recently FOX-17 (WXMI-TV), where she returned in 2024 after a brief break.
Meteorologist Terri DeBoer has launched a congressional bid in Michigan. (Fox News Digital/Getty Images)
She began her career in broadcast journalism as a news reporter before transitioning to meteorology in the early 1990s. Known to many viewers as «everyone’s mom,» DeBoer has been a steady on-air presence during major weather events, including the 1998 derecho and the 2022 Christmas blizzard.
DeBoer says she sees similarities between her previous position, where she was affectionately referred to by many as «everyone’s mom,» and helping people navigate and prepare for tough weather ahead.
DEMOCRATS NAME CANDIDATES TO ‘RED TO BLUE’ INITIATIVE, AIMING TO FLIP GOP MAJORITY DURING MIDTERMS
The US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«I am asking the people of Michigan’s 3rd District to send me to Capitol Hill so that I can make a difference helping prepare people for the storms that we’re facing and help steer us away from the impact of those storms,» DeBoer said.
DeBoer, a wife, mother and grandmother, says her interest in politics was inspired by hearing former President Ronald Reagan speak in person during her senior year of high school. She said she thought to herself that if she ever had the opportunity to «serve my country,» she would «step forward and do it.»
DeBoer is the first major Republican candidate to enter the race in a district the Cook Political Report ranks as «Solid D,» in a state that President Donald Trump carried in 2024 and that is known for narrow margins of victory.
Additionally, when Scholten won her election, she became the first Democrat to win that seat since the 1970s.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Zach Bannon called Scholten a «rubber stamp» for the «radical far left» in a statement to Fox News Digital and said Republicans are «on the offense.»
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U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI) speaks at a press conference following a House Democratic Caucus meeting. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Other priorities from DeBoer, according to a press release and her newly launched campaign website, include pushing back against the «political elite» and «open-border policies» and advocating for affordability.
«For me, I am someone who is willing to listen to all great ideas, because I know that the problems that we have to solve, we are going to face, are going to need to be tackled by everyone, and so we need to come together and the best way to come together is to send an outsider to Washington,» DeBoer said. «I have loyalty to West Michigan. I don’t have loyalty to a party.»
Republicans currently control the House by a 218-214 majority, with two right-tilting districts and one left-leaning seat vacant. Democrats need a net gain of three seats in the midterms to win back the majority for the first time in four years.
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midterm elections,michigan,politics,house of representatives,elections
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