By MEG KINNARD, Associate Press

Elon Musk has said that he’s formed a new political party, but it’s unclear what steps — if any — he’s taken to do so, or how the effort might affect upcoming elections.

Musk has not yet released any additional information. Spokespeople for Musk and his political action committee, America PAC, didn’t immediately comment Monday.

While there are many recent federal elections filings that reference the Tesla and SpaceX CEO or his companies, Musk himself has even gone on his social media platform batting down at least one filing as fake.

The possible new political party marks another development in the rift between Musk and President Donald Trump over the Republican’s sweeping tax cuts law, which the tech billionaire has called “insane.”

The fissures between Trump and his one-time top surrogate and Department of Government Efficiency cost-cutter-in-chief have exposed not only the fragile nature of relations between two of the country’s most visible personalities but also the potential political consequences of disagreeing with the priorities of either man. The squabble could be particularly costly for Musk, whose businesses rely on billions of dollars in government contracts, and whose publicly traded company Tesla has taken a market hit.

Here’s what we know — and what we don’t — about Musk’s new political party:

Musk says he’s formed the America Party

Musk said Saturday on X that he had formed the America Party “to give you back your freedom.” He’d teased the move for days, threatening to make his own party if “this insane spending bill passes” Congress. He spent part of Sunday taking feedback from X users about the party, which he indicated he’d use to get involved in the 2026 midterm elections.

Some new Musk-related parties seem fishy

The Federal Election Commission database has teemed with newly formed political entities that make reference either to Musk or one of his companies, but there are details that cast doubts on their authenticity.

As of Monday afternoon, there were multiple political parties listed in the Federal Election Commission database formed in the hours since Musk’s Saturday X post, with versions of “America Party” or “DOGE” or “X” in the name, or Musk listed among people affiliated with the entity.

But none appeared to be real, listing contacts for the organization as email addresses such as “wentsnowboarding@yahoo.com” or untraceable Protonmail addresses. Several listed Vaibhav Taneja — the chief financial officer of Tesla — as a contact for the party, along with a Texas address for a building affiliated with X. Several pointed to a home in Maryland.

When a Musk supporter posted screengrabs of one of the formation documents to X, Musk took to X Sunday to say that the “filing is false and has been reported as such to the FEC.”

What could Musk do with a new party?

While indicating earlier this year that he might play less of a role in elected politics moving forward, Musk — the world’s richest man who spent at least $250 million supporting Trump in the 2024 election — could use a new party to try to do the opposite.

New political parties are often formed but typically struggle to pull any significant support away from the Republican and Democratic parties. But Musk could impact next year’s elections determining control of Congress if he is willing to spend significant amounts of money — through a new party or existing ones.

During the tax cuts debate, Musk pledged to work toward supporting primary challengers for members of Congress who backed the bill. He also said he would support Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican targeted by Trump for opposing the measure.

What has Trump said about Musk’s new party?

Trump on Sunday called Musk’s proposition “ridiculous,” going on to tout “tremendous success with the Republican Party.”

Trump later posted on social media that he was “saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely ‘off the rails,’ essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK,” saying the only thing third parties are good for “is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS.”

What does it take to make a new political party?

There are official steps, like setting up a tax identification number, bank account and treasurer, who can be held liable if future paperwork isn’t filed properly.

According to the FEC, any new party that intends to operate in federal elections has to register with the commission “when they raise or spend money over certain thresholds in connection with a federal election.” Federal campaign finance laws and regulations govern how political parties can take in money. Parties have to file regular reports with the FEC.

But even a federally designated political party has to gain access to ballots state by state, making the entire process, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, “complicated and expensive.”

Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.