Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk reacted to the Republican defeat in the US midterms with a sarcastic post on X, hours after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives.
"Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time," Musk wrote early on Wednesday, adding a shrugging emoji.
Musk posted it just after the Republican candidates he backed lost heavily. Democrats' House win means President Donald Trump will no longer have full control of Congress for the first time in his second term. Network projections also have Democrats winning the Senate.
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Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time 🤷♂️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 4, 2026
Musk's joke carries weight because of how much he spent. His giving reached $445.6 million through October 14, the latest date for which contribution data is available, and the real total is likely higher.
America PAC, the super PAC he founded, received $216 million. The Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC backing Senate Republicans, received $168 million. He is reportedly the largest individual donor in modern history.
Texas was a particular setback. Musk also referred to the Texas governor's race, where Democrat Gina Hinojosa won, with a second post saying data centres in space looked "pretty appealing right now".
Hinojosa, who defeated Greg Abbott, had accused Musk of giving the governor $5 million to try to buy the election. Her campaign said it made him Abbott's largest donor this cycle. Democrat James Talarico also flipped the state's Senate seat.
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Musk's relationship with Trump has changed sharply since the last election. He spent more than $290 million in the 2024 cycle and was the top political donor of that year.
After leaving his government role overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency, he fell out with the president publicly. He announced the America Party on X on July 7, 2025.
He later signalled that he would fund Republicans again, writing on X on January 1 that America is "toast if the radical left wins". In December he had cut big cheques to help Republicans win congressional races.
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