Musk, Trump and Mao have a lot in common

The only place where some people still see Elon Musk as a political genius is China. “Brother Musk, you've got over a billion people on our side backing you,” wrote a fan on Weibo, China's biggest social media site.

- Gwynne Dyer

“If Elon Musk were to found a political party,” wrote another, “his tech-driven mindset could inject fresh energy into politics.”

Distance lends enchantment, but the home market is a harder sell. Back in the USA a few days later, when Mr Musk announced the foundation of the “America Party’, the public response fell considerably short of rhapsodic. Tesla shares fell 7.5% the next day, and Mr Musk’s personal stake in the company fell by $10 billion.

President Donald Trump pretended pity for his former ally for about ten seconds — “I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely off the rails” — before reverting to form: “The one thing Third Parties are good for is the creation of Complete and Total DISRUPTION AND CHAOS”

Like a stopped clock, Mr Trump is occasionally right, and this may be one of those times. Mr Musk may seem completely out of control, but if he gets the strategy right, his new political party could spread disruption and chaos right within the ranks of the Republican Party.

Most American political analysts have dismissed the electoral prospects of Mr Musk’s new party. After all, new third parties have not broken the grip of the two-party system in the United States for more than a century. However, third parties have often determined the outcome in races between the two big parties.