Elon Musk claimed he ‘didn’t expect to win’ after the Wisconsin candidate he spent millions backing was defeated while Trump called the night a ‘big win’
Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been dealt a major blow as Wisconsin elected the Democrat-backed candidate to the state’s Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Musk and his affiliated groups poured at least $21 million into backing conservative Brad Schimel, even handing out $1 million checks to several voters in an attempt to boost turnout. Despite this, Judge Susan Crawford defeated Schimal, preserving a 4-3 liberal majority on the state’s highest court.
The election marked the first major test of the political impact of Musk, who rose to prominence in Trump’s administration by leading a controversial cost-cutting initiative that has seen federal agencies slashed. What would normally be a relatively low-profile race suddenly turned into a proxy fight over national political issues.
As he endorsed Schimel, Trump accused Crawford of being a “Radical Left Liberal, with a History of letting child molesters and rapists off easy,” and warned she would “be a DISASTER for Wisconsin and, the United States of America.” Musk gave his own dire warning during a last-ditch attempt to drum up support for Schimel on Tuesday, posting on X: “A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization. I think it matters for the future of the world.”
Despite their warnings, both Musk and Trump have had surprising reactions to Schimel’s defeat as they claim the night was actually a “big win” for Republicans. “I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,” Musk wrote on X.
Musk appeared to be referencing the fact that Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment to make voter ID a requirement. “This was the most important thing,” Musk claimed.
However, the Tesla CEO also hit out at Crawford’s election as he fumed: “The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.” Trump also claimed the voter ID approval as the biggest win of the night.
Taking to Truth Social, he wrote: “VOTER I.D. JUST APPROVED IN WISCONSIN ELECTION. Democrats fought hard against this, presumably so they can CHEAT. This is a BIG WIN FOR REPUBLICANS, MAYBE THE BIGGEST WIN OF THE NIGHT. IT SHOULD ALLOW US TO WIN WISCONSIN, LIKE I JUST DID IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, FOR MANY YEARS TO COME!”
As he endorsed Schimel, Trump accused Crawford of being a “Radical Left Liberal, with a History of letting child molesters and rapists off easy,” and warned she would “be a DISASTER for Wisconsin and, the United States of America.” Musk gave his own dire warning during a last-ditch attempt to drum up support for Schimel on Tuesday, posting on X: “A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization. I think it matters for the future of the world.”
Despite their warnings, both Musk and Trump have had surprising reactions to Schimel’s defeat as they claim the night was actually a “big win” for Republicans. “I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain,” Musk wrote on X.
Musk appeared to be referencing the fact that Wisconsin voters approved a constitutional amendment to make voter ID a requirement. “This was the most important thing,” Musk claimed.
However, the Tesla CEO also hit out at Crawford’s election as he fumed: “The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.” Trump also claimed the voter ID approval as the biggest win of the night.