Vice President JD Vance publicly pushed back Wednesday against reports linking him to conversations with Elon Musk or other major donors regarding a potential 2028 presidential run. At the same time, Vance advised Musk against moving forward with plans to establish a third political party.
“I saw the story, and as far as I can tell, the story is completely fake,” Vance told Fox News. “I’ve never talked with Elon Musk, or, frankly, any other donor about 2028.”
The comments follow a Wall Street Journal report stating that Musk had paused efforts to launch the “America Party” to focus on his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. While Musk’s allies suggested he might revisit the third-party idea later, Vance emphasized that such a move would be strategically unwise.
Musk had introduced the America Party concept in July, claiming that the United States had become a “one-party system” dominated by wasteful government spending from both Democrats and Republicans. He argued a new party was needed to “give people their freedom back.”
Addressing Musk directly on The Ingraham Angle, Vance recommended working within the Republican Party rather than attempting to create a new vehicle.
“My advice to Elon would be to try to fix the Republican Party. Try to push it in your own way,” Vance said. “Disagree with me all you want, disagree with the president of the United States, but don’t pretend that you can make a big difference with a third party.”
Vance argued that Musk’s influence would be far greater if he stayed aligned with the GOP and President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement. He stressed that Musk’s political positioning already places him firmly on the American right, citing his views on border security, manufacturing, and law and order.
“You believe in law and order, you believe in closed borders, you believe in economic growth and prosperity and making things in the United States of America,” Vance told Musk. “The idea that Elon is ever going to go back to being sort of in the middle, where Democrats and Republicans both like him, that’s just not going to happen.”
The vice president also criticized Democrats’ post-2024 election strategy. Responding to a question about California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s mocking reference to him as “Just Dance Vance,” he said the Democratic “autopsy” was misguided and that politicians should focus on authenticity.
“I think that ignores the fundamental genius of President Trump’s political success, which is that he’s authentic. He just is who he is. You’ve got to be yourself,” Vance said. He also highlighted that Trump’s recent law-and-order measures had tangible results, such as reducing armed robberies by 55 percent in just nine days, countering the narrative that the president was extreme.
Vance concluded by reinforcing the message that staying inside the Republican Party would maximize both Musk’s and the party’s impact, while a third-party bid could splinter influence and reduce the potential to enact meaningful change.
