Trump Promised to Pardon Musk and Aides if Democrats Control Congress After Midterms

On November 2, 2026, Donald Trump, then-president of the United States, made a public statement during an interview for the Pod Force One podcast that he would pardon Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, and his closest aides if the Democratic Party controlled Congress after the midterm elections. The statement was reported by Bloomberg and later by Lenta and Bakinski-Rabochi. Lenta’s headline was more direct, stating 'Trump promised to pardon Musk,' while Bakinski-Rabochi provided additional context about the conditions for the pardon, including the requirement that Democrats control Congress. Bakinski-Rabochi included a quote from Trump: 'If I had known...' which was not present in Lenta’s report. The publication dates were slightly different, with Lenta publishing first at 18:29 on November 2, 2026, and Bakinski-Rabochi following shortly after at 16:35 on the same day. Both outlets covered the same core event but differed in the level of detail and the inclusion of specific quotes.