Elon Musk joked that his “space lasers” had failed after Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress in the U.S. midterm elections. (Foto: Instagram)
Elon Musk joked on Wednesday, Nov. 4, after Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in the U.S. midterm elections. Musk, an ally of President Donald Trump and a major donor to the Republican Party, made the remark as the party faced a loss in the elections.
“Looks like my space lasers for interfering in elections didn’t work this time,” Musk wrote in a post on X, making a sarcastic reference to efforts to influence the vote.
Musk spent about $500 million — roughly 2 billion Brazilian reais, according to the source — on political groups and campaigns during the 2026 U.S. election cycle. That made him the largest individual donor in the midterm elections. More than $276 million of the total was distributed beginning in July, with the stated aim of bolstering conservative candidates and helping Republicans retain control of Congress.
His largest individual contribution was $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, which supports Republican Senate candidates. Musk also gave $76 million to America PAC and $20 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund. Another $10 million went to the Republican Governors Association and a committee supporting Ken Paxton in his Texas Senate race against Democrat James Talarico, who won the contest.
Vote counting was well advanced, and partial results showed Democrats securing majorities in both chambers. The outcome was described as a historic defeat for Trump and would change the political landscape for the final two years of his term.
Trump acknowledged the loss and congratulated Democrats in a phone interview with Fox News. “Well, I’ll say this: Congratulations to the Democrats. They did a good job,” he said. He also sought to distance himself from responsibility for the result, saying Republicans had borne the blame. “They’ve been waiting for this for 11 years, and they finally got it. But I don’t see it as a blow against me,” Trump said.
