I've just returned from what was a restful and restorative vacation. And while the first day back at work post-vacation is always a little difficult, it was even harder than I expected.
Why? The tragedy in Texas is, of course, devastating, with a death count that has now surpassed 80 people, including dozens of children. And the Trump-backed budget reconciliation bill, which the president signed into law on Friday, will benefit the rich at the expense of the poor by slashing Medicaid, food stamps, and federal funding for Planned Parenthood, as my colleagues covered.
As if all that was not enough, Elon Musk helped make our ongoing national dumpster fire a little bit worse this weekend by announcing his return to politics on Saturday with the launch of a new third party. The so-called America Party will launch next year, just in time for the midterms, Musk told his followers on X. Predictably, Trump lashed out, claiming in a Truth Social post that Musk had gone “off the rails” and alleging that "the one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS, and we have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!”
I've said this very few times, if ever, in my life, but—Trump has a point here (sort of). Not in his rant against the Democrats, but in his dismissal of third parties. As I wrote yesterday:
Musk follows a long line of people who have attempted to launch a third party and discovered it was an uphill battle, due to ballot requirements and the need to build powerful political allies in a staunchly two-party system. In fact, Musk himself previously flirted with the idea in 2022 before seemingly abandoning it. As my colleagues wrote in a special issue of this magazine published last year, third parties’ electoral efforts have never been successful in America—at least, if you define success in terms of winning elections.
While it may be tempting to entirely dismiss Musk's latest venture as the doomed startup of a billionaire egomaniac, let's not forget that Musk's massive wealth could help him beat the odds. While the millions he dropped on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election did not help elect his preferred candidate, the $290 million he spent to put Trump back in the White House managed to do the trick.
So should we be worried about Musk's return to politics? It seems to depend on how much he is willing to spend, what allies in DC (if any) he manages to recruit, and just how much more the MAGA GOP manages to implode. If nothing else, though, this means we'll at least be able to enjoy more online mudslinging between Musk and MAGA.
What do you think? Let me know.
—Julianne McShane
P.S. This weekend's episode of Reveal celebrates the show's 10-year anniversary! The episode looks back at some of Reveal's most impactful and beloved investigations, starting with the pilot, which exposed how the Department of Veterans Affairs was overprescribing opioids to veterans and prompted congressional hearings. Make sure to give it a listen.
