Musk Jokes on X After Democrats Win Congress Despite His Record Midterm Spending
Photo: The HinduElon Musk joked on X in the early hours of Wednesday, November 4, 2026, about Republican losses in the midterm elections, after spending a record sum to back the party. Democrats won both the Senate and the House on Tuesday. Musk posted at about 1:12 a.m. that data centers in space looked appealing, then wrote that his election-interfering space lasers had not worked this time. Reported totals for his spending ranged from about $440 million to $474 million, including $224 million in Texas, according to the New York Post. The Guardian said Democrats won all five Senate races where his America Pac spent the most, and that he had spent nearly $290 million in 2024. In Texas, where Tesla and SpaceX are headquartered, James Talarico became the first Democrat elected to the Senate there since 1988, and Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Rep. Gina Hinojosa. She has called for a data center moratorium and an end to industry tax breaks. Tesla shares fell 3.3% and SpaceX shares fell 2.5% Wednesday morning, the Post reported. The New Republic said Democrats in Congress had signaled investigations of Musk and that his plan to merge SpaceX and Tesla could face obstacles.
The New York Post, on the right, leads with business damage: share drops, Musk's roughly $880 billion net worth per Forbes, his Texas data center buildout and the Talarico and Abbott results. It describes his jokes as deadpan. On the left, The New Republic uses harsher language ("spirals," "tech oligarch"), questions the exit poll Musk reposted and focuses on Congressional scrutiny and Hinojosa. The Guardian calls the spending a flop and notes he was otherwise quiet and had earlier amplified conspiracy theories. Both sides quote the same two posts and report the Texas losses, but they differ on the spending total and on emphasis: markets and data centers versus accountability. France 24 and The Hindu largely match these accounts, though France 24 adds that nearly $12 billion was spent overall.
How the sides differ Right sources stress Musk's business losses in Texas and falling share prices; left sources stress his failed spending, his posts and coming Democratic scrutiny.
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France 24 and The Hindu report briefly that Musk's money failed to prevent a Democratic victory and that he joked on X. France 24 adds the roughly $12 billion total spent on the midterms.
The New York Post leads with market and business effects: falling Tesla and SpaceX shares, Texas losses by Abbott and Republicans, and the threat to Musk's data center plans. It cites Forbes and his $474 million spending.