Elon Musk appears to be retreating from his flirtation with launching a new political party and is instead leaning into strengthening ties with Vice President JD Vance, a figure he reportedly sees as a natural successor to the MAGA movement.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Musk has scaled down his efforts to build what he had informally dubbed the “America Party,” an idea that briefly generated buzz on X after he floated it in a July 5 poll. While the unscientific survey gained attention online, real-world data painted a different picture.

CNN’s polling analyst Harry Enten mocked the concept as “dead on arrival,” pointing to internal network numbers showing Musk’s favorability had fallen 55 points over the past four months.

Beyond weak public enthusiasm, the Journal noted Musk’s difficulty in rallying major political allies to join him. As one source put it, the billionaire has yet to find “prominent individuals who have voiced support for the idea of a new party or could be a crucial resource to help it get off the ground.”

Instead, Musk appears to be aligning himself more closely with the GOP establishment and, in particular, Vice President JD Vance.

“Musk has stayed in touch with Vance in recent weeks, and he has acknowledged to associates that if he goes ahead with forming a political party, he would damage his relationship with the vice president,” reported Brian Schwartz of the Journal.

According to the outlet, Musk has also privately indicated that he would be willing to use his vast fortune to support Vance should he run for president in 2028. Musk reportedly contributed nearly $300 million to support President Donald J. Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election cycle.

That trend has only accelerated in 2025. Campaign finance disclosures filed last week reveal Musk donated $5 million apiece to two major Republican super PACs supporting House and Senate candidates—making him their largest individual donor in the first half of the year. On the same day, he sent another $5 million to Trump’s super PAC, MAGA Inc.

Musk has also heavily funded his own operation, America PAC, which received $45.3 million in the first half of 2025, including $27.4 million in in-kind donations and $17.9 million in cash. The group has been aggressive in its spending, dropping $47.3 million over the same period—$15.5 million of that during the first week of April, when America PAC played a significant role in the Florida special House races and Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court elections.

Millions more went into digital ads, mailers, and voter outreach efforts, with $6 million specifically dedicated to field operations and canvassing.

While some details of Musk’s political contributions remain undisclosed—given the variety of organizations not required to file public reports—the disclosures show a clear pattern: Musk is not walking away from American politics. He is doubling down on backing the Republican Party and investing heavily in its future leadership.

With President Trump securely leading the GOP today, Musk appears to see JD Vance as the next standard-bearer—ensuring the MAGA movement continues long after 2028.