Donald Trump publicly criticized Elon Musk for founding the 'American Party', calling him a 'political disaster' and stating that third-party parties would only bring chaos. Trump boasted that the Republican Party had just repealed the federal electric vehicle mandate, which Musk had not opposed. He also mentioned that Musk once requested the appointment of a friend to lead NASA. The conflict between the two escalated, with Musk criticizing the bill and funding politicians opposing Trump, and even being threatened with deportation. Despite his declining popularity within the Republican Party, Musk attracted the attention of independent voters with his new party.