Elon Musk joked that his “election-interfering space lasers” had failed after Republicans suffered setbacks in the US midterms, despite his last-minute appeal to Americans to “vote red”.
Elon Musk took a dig at the outcome of the US midterm elections, joking that his so-called “election-interfering space lasers” had failed to deliver the desired result, hours after urging Americans to vote Republican.
“Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time,” the billionaire posted on X, as Democrats made gains in several key races.
Musk had appealed to voters to back Republicans on election day, Tuesday, November 3. “Vote red today!” the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive wrote in an earlier post on the platform.
His message came during a closely watched election expected to decide control of both chambers of Congress for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s term.
Trump ‘willing to accept results’
As Democrats gained a majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Trump said he was “willing to accept results”.
The contest was held against a backdrop of widespread appetite for change. An October AP-NORC poll found that nearly half of American voters wanted “substantial change” in how the country is run, while about three in 10 favoured “complete and total upheaval”. Only around two in 10 wanted small changes or none at all.
More from United StatesDemocrats and independents were more likely to back a complete overhaul, but discontent was also evident among Republicans: 45 per cent sought substantial change and 13 per cent supported upheaval.
Democrats had hoped that frustration over the cost of living, and Trump’s failure to deliver on his pledge to tackle rising prices, would galvanise their supporters while dampening Republican turnout.
Record spending, with Musk as top donor
The campaign is said to be the most expensive on record, with total costs projected to reach nearly $12bn (£9bn), according to Open Secrets, an independent organisation that tracks campaign finance.
Much of the money has come from outside political groups known as Super Political Action Committees (Super Pacs), which have poured large sums into key races ahead of election day.
The leading individual donor is Musk, who has spent almost half a billion dollars backing Republican candidates, particularly in Texas, where many of his companies are based, according to BBC.
In a setback, Democrat James Talarico won the US Senate race in Texas, ending a 38-year losing streak for his party in the Republican-leaning state and dealing a setback to President Trump.
Talarico defeated Republican Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and a close Trump ally, in one of the most closely watched contests of the US midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress.
