Democrats win both US chambers as Musk jokes about his failed space lasers

Democrats take both chambers of Congress

Democrats won control of the Senate and the House of Representatives in the midterm elections of 3 November 2026, a heavy defeat for the Republicans of President Donald Trump. Handelsblatt reports that Hakeem Jeffries is on course to become the first Black speaker of the House. Trump said he would accept the results and congratulated Democrats, whom he had spent months calling dangerous and 'sick', but he also told Fox News he would use his veto generously. Overriding a veto requires two-thirds of the members of both chambers, and Trump can still govern by executive order.

From January, Democrats will set the tone in lawmaking, and Senate confirmation of nominees for key government posts and judges will run under a Democratic majority. Democrats can also open investigations into the president and his government, including the business activities of the Trump family, deadly raids against migrants and contested construction projects in Washington.

Musk's money and the Texas race

Elon Musk gave more than 445 million dollars, almost 400 million euros, during the current election cycle. According to OpenSecrets, that made him the largest individual contributor in a federal election since unlimited election spending was allowed in 2010. Most of his money went to America PAC and the Republican Senate Leadership Fund. He spent 276 million dollars between July and September, including 158 million for the Senate Leadership Fund and 20 million for the Congressional Leadership Fund. Estimates of his support for Ken Paxton in Texas differ, with one report putting it above 150 million dollars and another above 200 million dollars. Volkskrant reports that about half of his money went to Texas.

James Talarico, a Democrat, defeated Paxton, a close ally of Trump, and became the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994. His campaign ran on the slogan 'Texas is not for sale'. In his victory speech he said he had beaten the most powerful man in the world and the richest.

“In this race, we went up against our own Goliaths.”

Musk's reaction and business plans

After the results, Musk posted on X with a joke about his failed influence operation.

“Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn't work this time.”

In a second post he said space data centres now looked especially attractive. His business plans have moved fast in recent weeks. In mid-October 2026 he announced he would give one SpaceX share to every American child, about 10 million shares in total, to be distributed next year through Trump Accounts savings funds for minors. That same month he opened to merging Tesla and SpaceX into one company valued at an estimated 3.5 trillion dollars, with the aim of completing the deal before Trump's term ends. Volkskrant also reports that in October 2026 Starlink and Starshield service over Ukraine was partly switched off, leaving Ukrainians less able to defend themselves against Russian aggression.

Democratic investigations into Musk

Democrats plan to examine Musk's dismissals of public-sector staff during his brief stint as a White House adviser, public contracts awarded to his companies and Starlink's service in Ukraine. Volkskrant reports that Democrats want to know whether Musk broke laws while cutting costs at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. With a Democratic majority, the House can compel people to testify under oath. Democratic representative Robert Garcia told Republicans on X to hire lawyers. AFP notes that Musk had worked for the president for a time after Trump returned to the White House in early 2025.