Elon Musk’s Spending Draws Ridicule

What happened

Updated Nov 4, 9:00pm ET

Elon Musk laughed off Republican election losses after his record spending, posting on X: “Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time.”
Musk gave nearly half a billion dollars to Republican candidates and political groups during the midterms, making him the election’s largest individual donor.
Democrats won all five Senate races where Musk’s America PAC spent the most money backing Republicans, including in his adopted home state of Texas.
Billionaire Richard Branson called for campaign finance reform, saying he felt “embarrassed” by the billions that technology entrepreneurs and hedge fund managers spent.
Democratic lawmakers say they want to investigate whether Musk used his influence in the Trump administration to benefit his businesses.

How the left told it

Left-leaning outlets framed Musk’s spending as a humiliating failure of billionaire influence. The Guardian called it a “poor investment,” while The Atlantic suggested it “may even have hurt Republicans.” The Daily Beast highlighted his space-lasers joke and reported that he deleted a post urging people to vote Republican.

How the right told it

Right-leaning outlets emphasized the poor electoral returns on Musk’s record spending. The Daily Mail called the results a “blue wave of reality,” while the Daily Caller questioned how much success wealthy donors can buy. Breitbart highlighted Musk’s joke; the Washington Examiner focused on his falling wealth and potential Democratic investigations.