DOMINANT ANGLE
Moscow links Musk's promise to the midterm battle: between thanks from Trump and millions paid to Republicans, the Russian press first sees an American political gesture.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Musk wrote on X that he would give a SpaceX share next year to each American child, about 72 million according to the Census Bureau, without specifying the terms (Meduza).
- 02
Trump thanked Musk on Truth Social for his "incredible generosity" and linked it to the "Trump account" program (RIA Novosti).
- 03
According to RT, Musk has paid over $400 million to Republican organizations since July, including nearly $200 million to the Senate Leadership Fund.
ANALYSIS
Moscow, October 20, 2026. The Russian press is covering Elon Musk's announcement through three lenses: the raw information, Donald Trump's reaction, and the American electoral backdrop.
Meduza reports that the billionaire wrote on X: "Next year, I will give one of my SpaceX shares to each child in America. This will be just the first step among many others." The media outlet notes that no details were provided on how the shares would be transferred. It recalls the estimate from the US Census Bureau, approximately 72 million children, and Musk's fortune according to the Bloomberg index: over $900 billion, with nearly $700 billion invested in SpaceX.
Meduza, citing Bloomberg, places the announcement a few hours after that of Anthropic, a competitor to Musk's AI company. Anthropic created a "public utility fund" with 5% of its shares, with an additional 2% for every 50% increase in the value of its assets. The fund would finance traditional non-profit organizations or make direct payments to "certain population groups".
RIA Novosti, from Washington, highlights the presidential reaction. On Truth Social, Trump wrote: "A big thank you to our legendary friend Elon Musk for his incredible generosity." According to the agency, the president claims that the "count Trump" program, which opens investment mechanisms for children, was created for this purpose. The agency adds that Musk presents this donation as the first in a series of similar initiatives and recalls that SpaceX merged with xAI in February.
RT, in its English edition, shifts the focus to the ballot boxes. Musk would have donated over $400 million to Republican organizations since July, making him the largest known donor to the midterm elections. Nearly $200 million would go to the Senate Leadership Fund and around $75 million to America PAC. RT describes Republicans struggling in the polls, between a stagnant economy, internal quarrels, and an "intermittent" war with Iran, while Democrats have no billionaire capable of rivaling. The title asks: can money alone buy the midterms?
