TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis has a message for Elon Musk: Forget starting a new party.
Instead, Florida's GOP leader said Musk should either primary Republicans or help pass constitutional amendments dealing with term limits and a balanced budget.
DeSantis, who began his ill-fated presidential campaign alongside Musk in a glitch-marred event on X, offered up his suggestions Monday about the billionaire entrepreneur’s plan to start a third party to challenge Republicans and Democrats. Musk announced he was launching the “America Party” this past weekend.
“I think Washington needs to be overhauled 100 percent, but I just don’t think a third party is going to do it,” DeSantis said following an education-related press conference in Jacksonville.
DeSantis, who offered up his commentary with no prodding or questioning from reporters, praised Musk for his past efforts, including helping Republicans in 2024 and his bid to curb government spending. But he said creating a third party would likely just end with Democrats winning elections.
“I’m a Republican. I don’t want to see that happen,” DeSantis said.
Musk’s push to create a third party arose from his squabbles with President Donald Trump over the newly enacted “one big beautiful bill” that Musk has called wasteful. DeSantis has had his own feuds with Trump but has appeared to put those aside recently.
DeSantis has not criticized the GOP megabill, but he has also avoided praising it. The governor did not join with Republican counterparts calling for its passage earlier this year, and at one point he did criticize the proposed inclusion of a moratorium on state laws dealing with artificial intelligence. That clause was left out of the final version.
One of the Republicans who voted against the bill is Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who backed DeSantis’ campaign for president and appeared alongside him in events in Iowa.
DeSantis told reporters that “we do have a problem in the Republican Party” because too many GOP members of Congress vow to take care of spending on the campaign trail but then fail to do so once they are in office. He said that this should be exposed and pointed out during primary campaigns.
But DeSantis then added: “I don’t think electing a few better people is going to change the trajectory.”
DeSantis said Musk would have a “monumental impact” if he focused on getting state legislatures to join states such as Florida in calling for a constitutional amendment that requires Congress to pass a balanced budget. He also said an amendment requiring term limits members of Congress would also help.
“You are going to see major, major positive changes,” said DeSantis. “You have to change the incentives and structures up there. … It’s within our grasp to do it.”
Comments
Post a Comment