Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to boost Republican candidates, tech billionaire Elon Musk has resorted to humour following the party’s crushing defeat in the US midterm elections.
Musk took a swipe at the Republicans in a post on X, joking that his supposed election-interfering space lasers had failed to deliver the desired outcome.
The remark came after Democrats secured control of both chambers of Congress, dealing President Donald Trump and his Republican allies a major political setback.
The Tesla and SpaceX chief reportedly spent nearly half a billion dollars backing Republican candidates and political groups, making him the biggest individual donor in a federal election cycle since unlimited campaign spending was permitted in 2010.
Much of his financial support went to his Republican-aligned America PAC and the Republican Senate Leadership Fund, a political action committee supporting the party’s Senate candidates.
Among the beneficiaries was Texas Republican Ken Paxton, whose campaign received support from the Senate Leadership Fund, including 158 million dollars in contributions from Musk in September.
However, Paxton lost the Senate race to Democrat James Talarico, who secured a landmark victory and became the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994.
At a victory rally in Austin, Talarico highlighted the powerful political and financial forces his campaign had overcome, pointing to Musk, Trump and the Washington establishment as major opponents.
Musk’s reaction to the Republican setback has added an ironic twist to the election outcome, given the enormous financial resources he committed to helping the party retain its grip on Congress.
