Musk jokes about 'space lasers' after Republicans lose midterms he funded
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Neutral summary
Elon Musk, the largest individual political donor in modern US history, poured between $445 million (according to Newsweek, Daily Mail and France 24) and $474 million (according to Challenges and South China Morning Post) into supporting Republican candidates in the 2026 midterms. Despite the spending, Democrats took control of both the House and the Senate, and in Texas — where Musk has moved his companies and his home — Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who campaigned against data centers, won a shock victory in the governor's race. Following the results, Tesla and SpaceX shares tumbled: Folha de S.Paulo reported a combined $130 billion loss in market value, El País put the figure at $111 billion, while the Financial Times and the Sydney Morning Herald said Musk's personal fortune had fallen by more than $60 billion. Musk reacted on X with a joke: "Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time," adding that "data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now." Analysts and media outlets note that Democrats may now launch investigations into Musk's companies, including SpaceX and Tesla, and push for stricter AI regulation and limits on data-center construction. Meanwhile, shares of major tech firms such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft rose, as investors saw the Democratic victory as reducing uncertainty. The Financial Times reported that Big Tech's total campaign spending reached about $600 million, concluding that "the money didn't work."
How it was framed
Outlets: 89. Countries: 26. Facts in the shared core: 3.
Publication timeline
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Lewis Goodall (News Agents) (outlet profile)
Spare a thought for Elon Musk. Moves his business to Texas, his home, spends a quarter of a billion dollars and the Dems are going to take it all and regulate him anyway.
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Business Insider (outlet profile)
Elon Musk's Texas-sized midterms failure. Elon Musk was the biggest funder of the effort to keep Texas red. It failed.
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Newsweek (outlet profile)
Elon Musk Wasted Nearly Half a Billion Dollars on Major Midterm Defeats. Elon Musk gave Republicans over $445 million. Democrats still won the House, Senate and the Texas seat on which he spent the most.
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Daily Mail (outlet profile)
Elon Musk hit with blue wave of reality after donating historic $445 million to Republicans for midterm elections. Voters across America seemed to repudiate Elon Musk's efforts to elect Republicans even though he poured…
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Axios (outlet profile)
Musk laughs off election drubbing with space lasers joke. Elon Musk cracked jokes early Wednesday morning after the Republican candidates he spent record sums supporting got drubbed in a historic midterm election. Why i…
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www.rbc.ru (outlet profile)
Илон Маск шуткой оценил поражение партии, в которую он вложил $400 млн. Миллиардер Илон Маск, финансировавший предвыборную кампанию кандидатов от Республиканской партии на промежуточных выборах в конгресс США, впервые п…
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Times of India (outlet profile)
'Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work': Musk on $445m failed gamble
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Times of India (outlet profile)
Hours after mid-term election results, Musk sends 'let's go to Space' message. Elon Musk expressed interest in building data centers in space after the mid-term elections favored Democrats. His posts came after signific…
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Telegraf (outlet profile)
Oglasio se Ilon Mask nakon debakla Republikanske stranke na izborima u Americi. Izvršni direktor kompanije SpaceX Ilon Mask oglasio se na društvenim mrežama nakon što je Republikanska stranka izgubila na međuizborima u…
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ТАСС (outlet profile)
Маск пошутил, что "космические лазеры" для вмешательства в выборы не сработали. По последним оценкам агентства Associated Press, демократы получат как минимум 53 места в Сенате Конгресса США
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CNBC (outlet profile)
Midterm Takeaways: Tech billionaires suffer horrible night as Democrats drub Republicans. Elon Musk's spending may have become a liability as voters in exit polls raised concerns about government corruption and the grow…
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Российская газета (outlet profile)
Маск пошутил, что на этот раз его лазеры для вмешательства в выборы не сработали. Американский предприниматель Илон Маск после прогнозируемой победы демократов на промежуточных выборах в Конгресс США в шутку пожаловался…
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Daily Mail (outlet profile)
The REAL winners and losers of the midterms: Bitter humiliation for Trump with Hegseth in danger from bloodthirsty Democrats... who may have found their new leader. Donald Trump is weaker, and Elon Musk half a billion d…
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Alo! (outlet profile)
Oglasio se Ilon Mask: U svom maniru napisao je ovo nakon debakla Republikanske stranke na izborima u Americi. Demokrate su navele da bi mogle da omoguće pokretanje istraga o radu američkog predsednika Donalda Trampa, čl…
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Fortune (outlet profile)
‘This might just be the biggest defeat for big money in politics’: Billionaires poured hundreds of millions into Tuesday’s races and still lost. Elon Musk’s pick lost in Texas and billionaires Vivek Ramaswamy and Rick J…
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Alo! (outlet profile)
Mask u svom maniru prokomentarisao debakl Republikanske stranke na izborima u Americi. Demokrate su navele da bi mogle da omoguće pokretanje istraga o radu američkog predsednika Donalda Trampa, članova njegove porodice…
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Ведомости (outlet profile)
Маск пошутил о неудаче своих «космических лазеров» на выборах в США
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L'Humanité (outlet profile)
« Mes lasers spatiaux destinés à interférer dans les élections n’ont pas fonctionné » : battu, Elon Musk minimise le réel. Le multimilliardaire fasciste Elon Musk est doublement perdant. Son camp politique, le Parti rép…
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BFMTV (outlet profile)
"Mes lasers spatiaux n'ont pas fonctionné cette fois": Elon Musk sarcastique après la déroute électorale de Trump (malgré 446 millions de dollars dépensés pour les Républicains). Après avoir dépensé quelque 446 millions…
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Rzeczpospolita (outlet profile)
„Kosmiczne lasery zawiodły”. Musk komentuje wybory w USA, wydał fortunę na republikanów. Elon Musk odniósł się do wyborów połówkowych w Stanach Zjednoczonych, publikując ironiczny wpis w serwisie X. „Chyba moje kosmiczn…
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franceinfo (outlet profile)
Elon Musk, après avoir injecté des sommes record, ironise sur la défaite électorale des républicains lors des midterms 2026. Le milliardaire américain, soutien des républicains de Donald Trump, s'est amusé de la victoir…
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Lenta.ru (outlet profile)
Маск пошутил о вмешательстве в выборы
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Clarín (outlet profile)
Musk dice que centros de datos espaciales son "opción atractiva" tras victoria demócrata. Elon Musk considera viable establecer centros de datos espaciales, en medio de la incertidumbre bursátil provocada por el avance…
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Tanjug (outlet profile)
Ilon Mask se našalio na račun rezultata međuizbora u SAD, pominje "svemirske lasere"
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Nova.rs (outlet profile)
Ilon Mask potrošio stotine miliona dolara na republikance, pa se oglasio nakon poraza: „Moji svemirski laseri nisu delovali“. Nakon što je uložio stotine miliona dolara u kampanju za podršku brojnim američkim republikan…
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Politika (outlet profile)
Маск иронично о изборном поразу републиканаца: Свемирски ласери нису помогли. Милијардер је уложио стотине милиона долара у подршку републиканским кандидатима
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N1 Srbija (outlet profile)
"Moji svemirski laseri za mešanje u izbore nisu delovali": Mask nakon poraza republikanaca. Nakon što je uložio stotine miliona dolara u kampanju za podršku brojnim američkim republikanskim kandidatima, multimilijarder…
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Danas (outlet profile)
Ilon Mask, finansijer republikanskih kandidata, šaljivo komentarisao njihov poraz. Nakon što je uložio stotine miliona dolara u kampanju za podršku brojnim američkim republikanskim kandidatima, multimilijarder Ilon Mask…
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News.ru (outlet profile)
«Не сработали»: Маск пошутил про «космические лазеры» на выборах. Илон Маск пошутил в соцсети Х, что его «космические лазеры» не сработали во время американских промежуточных выборов. Демократы, по оценкам AP, получат к…
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B92 (outlet profile)
"Svemirski laseri za mešanje u izbore nisu delovali". Američki milijarder Ilon Mask objavio je danas šaljiv komentar na društvenoj mreži u kome je komentarisao ishod međuizbora u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama.
Factual core
- Elon Musk spent a record amount on Republican candidates in the US midterms.
- The US midterm elections resulted in a defeat for Republicans.
- Elon Musk joked that his space lasers intended to interfere in elections did not work this time.
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