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By Anna Commander
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Billionaire Elon Musk issued a stark warning to voters if Democrats sweep the chambers of Congress and the presidency in 2028, saying it could lead to the "end of democracy." Musk's message comes just four days ahead of the midterm elections, where Democrats are favored to take the House and face a competitive battle to flip the Senate.
In his post to X early Friday morning, Musk laid out his three concerns. The first, he says, Democrats will make Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia states, in an effort to achieve a strong majority in the Senate. Secondly, Musk warned that Democrats would open the borders and "legalize everyone living in America illegally to cement a permanent majority."
Lastly, Musk said Democrats would increase the size of the Supreme Court in an effort to gain an immediate majority.
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"This would result in America becoming a permanent one-party state and the end of democracy in any meaningful sense of the word. All that is needed to ensure this doesn’t happen is 51 Republican senators in 2029. That is why you should vote for Republican senators this election. Other reasons are irrelevant compared to this one," Musk concluded in his post.
Billionaire businessman Mark Cuban reacted to Musk's post on X saying: "I’m against all of these. The new force in politics and elections is independents. The fact independents are NOT an organized party, means we can individually do what we think is right, without regard to party politics. That is a force we have not seen before. And it is only growing as we all become increasingly disgusted by party politics. Pushing these would backfire on Democrats," Cuban said.
This is not the first time the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has made a fourth quarter election warning. During the 2024 presidential election, Musk said that if President Donald Trump lost his race to then Vice President Kamala Harris, it would have been the last election for Americans due to immigration that would have turned the U.S. into a "single party country."
Midterm elections are commonly viewed as a test of the political environment facing the party in power, and the president's party has historically lost seats during them. Trump's overall approval rating and ranking on specific policy issues like the economy, immigration, jobs and the ongoing war in Iran have recently slipped as households across America are consistently flagging affordability concerns.
The polling lows come as Trump has crisscrossed the country in the lead-up to November 3, to rally for potentially vulnerable GOP candidates.
Newsweek reached out to the White House, Musk via SpaceX, and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) by email on Friday for comment.
What Democrats Have Said About Supreme Court Justices and Puerto Rico, D.C. Statehood
Musk is not the first person to raise the concern of Democrats potentially expanding the Supreme Court or pushing D.C. and Puerto Rican statehood over the finish line.
In April, Trump ripped into longtime political commentator James Carville over the thoughts, saying in part, "Wacko James Carville, a so-called Democrat 'strategist,' wants the Democrats to make D.C. and Puerto Rico States and, most importantly, pack the Supreme Court, putting 13 Justices on the Court. Other Dems want 21 Justices. If they pull off adding these two States, these Country Destroying Sleazebags will dominate politics in America, if we even have a Nation left, for 100 years (TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!)."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was asked if he supports adding more justices to the High Court earlier this year, and he responded saying that he supports reform.
"What I support is dramatic reform, and what that looks like, to begin with, is making sure that the Supreme Court actually has an ethical code of conduct so that they’re not able to simply conduct themselves in ways that are inconsistent with the notion in this country that no one is above the law, " Jeffries said on NBC's Meet The Press in August. He added that Judiciary Committee Democrats will look further into what "dramatic reform" could be.
Notably, Kamala Harris has previously supported the idea of adding justices to the Court and making D.C. and Puerto Rico states.
“I believe that we need to expand the Supreme Court,” Harris said on the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast this month. “We need more justices on the Supreme Court so that we can have a court that actually reinforces the spirit and principles behind the Constitution of the United States.”
She also supported pushing for Puerto Rico and D.C. statehood if their residents want it, during the podcast. Democratic Representative Jim Clyburn of South Carolina previously said he too would support adding seats to the High Court.
Lawmakers recently voted on a GOP-backed amendment to cap the Supreme Court at nine justices. The vote failed to get two-thirds support.
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D. Stephen Voss, political professor at the University of Kentucky, told Newsweek on Friday in part, "Expanding the number of states in a way that would improve Democratic political fortunes has long been a goal among activists on the left, although it's unclear how broadly popular such proposals would be with mainstream Democratic politicians in Congress."
Democrats and Immigration
As Trump's second term is well underway, Democrats have made their opposition to his administration's immigration policies known. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in major U.S. cities, deportations and fatal shootings involving federal agents have prompted Democrats to speak out in fury.
Trump has made stricter border enforcement a key pillar of his presidency, including efforts to continue building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and initially suspending asylum at the border, which has faced legal setbacks.
However, numerous Democrats, including candidates in key midterm races, have hit back at President Joe Biden's handling of the border, going as far as to say he "failed us." Democrats have also called for making the path to obtain U.S. citizenship simpler while leaning into ICE as a central focus of the midterms.
Democratic candidates, like Florida's Angie Nixon and Minnesota's Peggy Flanagan, have called for ICE to be abolished or dismantled while advocating for a new immigration enforcement system to be built "from scratch."
On its website, the DNC says in part that the party believes in "secure borders, common-sense immigration laws, and fair enforcement."
"We also believe in the humanity and dignity of every person. Federal agents should not be able to take over your city, target children, or kill innocent people in the streets," the DNC added on its website.
Voss later said in his response to Newsweek that, "On the other hand, the Democratic Party has not advocated either throwing open the borders or granting widespread amnesty to illegal migrants. At worst, a critic might argue that today's Democratic Party opposes most muscular policies intended to curtail immigration."
How Much Money Has Musk Donated This Midterm Cycle?
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Musk spent $276 million, with a majority going to the Senate Leadership Fund, this cycle. He also donated $76 million earlier this year to his America PAC, which has backed Republicans in House and Senate races.
On Friday, The Times reported the total figure of Musk's spending has risen to nearly $475 million this cycle. Newsweek cannot independently verify that figure at the time of publication. Other outlets also highlight that Musk's spending has surpassed $400 million.
Map Shows Toss-Up Senate Seats Four Days Ahead of Midterms
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas
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