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Elon Musk may<\/span> no longer be welcome in the White House, but don\u2019t believe for a second that he\u2019s done with politics. Between federal contracts and potential regulation, the government plays too big of a role in Musk\u2019s business ventures for the world\u2019s richest man to ever truly turn his back on Washington. In Musk\u2019s own words<\/a>, \u201cTrump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why progressives must remain committed to blocking his right-wing agenda and draining him of his power \u2014 even now that he\u2019s no longer running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite everything he has done in full view of the American public, Musk loves to cast himself as a centrist. He recently called for<\/a> a new \u201cAmerica Party\u201d to \u201crepresent the 80% in the middle.\u201d Backed by an utterly unscientific poll<\/a> on X, he produced a matching 80% approval rate for his idea. But while Musk certainly has the money to launch a third party, the reality is that such an effort would likely go nowhere.<\/p>\n Recent polling<\/a> reveals that only 15 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of independents approve of Musk. That number rises to 76 percent among Republicans, making Musk the third most popular<\/a> national Republican figure among Republican voters, behind only Donald Trump and JD Vance. In other words, Musk remains a powerful force in Republican politics, but his hypothetical third party would only draw from Republican voters and the independents who already vote with them.<\/p>\n The reality is that Musk and the Republican Party need each other. Musk is highly dependent on the federal government for the continued financial success of his rocket company SpaceX. And top Republican officeholders and influencers will continue to hunger for his dollars and social media clout, even if<\/a> he says he is pulling back<\/a> from political contributions. That explains why Vance and other Trump allies were so muted<\/a> in their initial statements<\/a> when the Trump\u2013Musk feud exploded last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump responded with a threat to cut SpaceX\u2019s federal contracts \u2014 which would be a real blow to Musk. Between January 2023 and December 2024, SpaceX\u2019s valuation rose from $137 billion<\/a> to an astonishing $350 billion<\/a>. This increase was based on the assumption that the company would benefit dramatically from Musk\u2019s relationship with Trump. But if the opposite proves true, SpaceX\u2019s value will likely collapse<\/a> back down to Earth, dragging Musk and his other investors<\/a> down with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n No wonder Musk was so quick to back down from his fight with Trump, going so far as to delete his post<\/a> linking Trump to notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and showing rare contrition on Wednesday on his social media platform X. \u201cI regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,\u201d he wrote<\/a>. \u201cThey went too far.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The news<\/a> that the Pentagon and NASA were trying to drop SpaceX was a reminder that Musk has too much at stake. And with Tesla now struggling<\/a>, don\u2019t be surprised to see Musk make the same moves as others who depend on government funding and friendly regulatory policies: hiring lobbyists, making campaign contributions, and currying favor with politicians.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Republican politicians, influencers, and operators also have strong reasons to stay in Musk\u2019s orbit. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and a whole host of conservatives are all carefully jockeying to be on the next presidential ticket. They will certainly want Trump\u2019s political endorsement \u2014 and if Musk proves willing to keep spending, his financial backing. In addition, some Republicans want him to stay in politics because they agree with his criticism of Trump\u2019s debt-expanding \u201cBig Beautiful Bill<\/a>.\u201d Conservative Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a deficit hawk and public advocate for cutting even U.S. military funding to Israel<\/a>, tweeted praise<\/a> of Musk, saying that \u201che cares about this country.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Musk and elected Republicans are likely to remain bound together in the years ahead. This means that Musk\u2019s oligarchic ambitions<\/a>, his anti-social welfare policies<\/a>, and his white nationalist beliefs<\/a> will continue to influence the Republican Party and American politics for decades to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n So people concerned about the future of this country must continue holding Musk accountable and keep fighting to block his political power. We must build a firewall around his politics. That means ending taxpayer funding for all of Musk\u2019s enterprises \u2014 including Tesla, SpaceX, and its satellite internet business Starlink. It also means sending a signal to Musk, other oligarchs, and the politicians who flirt with them that doing so puts their own commercial and political interests at risk.<\/p>\n There\u2019s much to learn<\/a> from the Tesla Takedown movement <\/a>that erupted across the U.S.<\/a> and Europe. That movement is now quietly entering a new phase of activism and power. Under the guidance of skilled organizers like Alec Connon of Stop the Money Pipeline<\/a> and some of the original Tesla Takedown leaders, a broad network of community activists is launching<\/a> city-, county-, and state-level campaigns for government boycotts of Musk\u2019s companies. They are pushing local governments to halt purchases of Tesla vehicles and encouraging local and state public pension funds to divest from Tesla stock.<\/p>\n A recent victory in this campaign came when the trustees of Pennsylvania\u2019s Lehigh County pension fund \u2014 worth roughly $500 million \u2014 voted to stop purchasing new investments in Tesla stock. In the words<\/a> of elected Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley, \u201cI have a legal duty to act as a responsible steward of the retirement savings of 4,218 county retirees and employees.\u201d<\/p>\n According to national campaign organizer Connon, anti-Tesla lobbying and organizing efforts have picked up momentum in Philadelphia, Seattle, Madison, Portland, and cities across the San Francisco Bay Area. And more local organizing efforts are being launched. As Connon put it, \u201cThere\u2019s an incredibly vibrant network of volunteer leaders across the country who are committed to holding Elon Musk accountable for his vicious attacks on democracy. They are pushing hard to ensure that their local and state governments are not funding the companies owned by this man who has caused so much harm.\u201d<\/p>\n Philadelphia community member Kelley Collings is another inspiring example of this rising movement. She and other Tesla Takedown activists have formed a local organizing committee and begun lobbying city council members and the city pension board to divest from Tesla. As fellow community member Anne Krawitz wrote<\/a>, their goal is \u201cto halt all current and future investments in Tesla stocks, with the hope of creating momentum for divestment of statewide retirement plans.\u201d Toward this end, they have also started building a statewide campaign by organizing rank-and-file union members who have pensions in both the city and state pension funds.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n