One of the main protagonists of the midterms, without a doubt, was Joe Biden. He had a lot at stake in this election and, as he himself stated in the press conference he gave at the White House, the Democratic Party has come out of it well:
We had an election yesterday. And it was a good day, I think, for democracy. Our democracy has been tested in recent years. But with their votes, the American people have spoken and proven once again that democracy is who we are.... While the press and pundits were predicting a giant red wave, it didn't happen.
In fact, as the president explained, these are the best results the Democrats have achieved in years during the midterms:
While any seat lost is painful... Democrats had a strong night. And we lost fewer seats in the House of Representatives than any Democratic president's first midterm election in the last 40 years. We had the best midterm for governors since 1986.
These results could facilitate Biden's decision to run for re-election in 2024. Although he will not communicate whether or not he will run for president until at least early 2023:
Our intention is to run again. That's been our intention, regardless of what the outcome of this election was. I think everybody wants me to run, but we're gonna have discussions about it.
Musk criticized for his relationship with Saudi Arabia
However, it was not his statements about the midterms that were the stars of the day. These were his comments regarding Twitter's new owner, Elon Musk, whom he accused of putting the country's national security at risk:
Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at. Whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate -- I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting it’s worth being looked at and that’s all I’ll say.
He is not alone in questioning Musk's relationship with other countries such as Saudi Arabia. Connecticut Democratic Senator Chris Murphy also accused Twitter's new CEO in statements picked up by the Financial Times:
Given Twitter’s critical role in public communication, I am concerned by the potential influence of the Government of Saudi Arabia. Setting aside the vast stores of data that Twitter has collected on American citizens, any potential that Twitter’s foreign ownership will result in increased censorship, misinformation, or political violence is a grave national security concern
They refer, in particular, to Musk's relationship with the Saudi billionaire prince, Al Waleed bin Talal. He transferred thousands of shares, valued at $1.89 billion, to the owner of Tesla and Space X, making him its second largest shareholder.
Dear friend "Chief Twit" @elonmusk
Together all the way 🤝🏻 @Twitter https://t.co/J9rnd013xz pic.twitter.com/bXo6RUaUwk
- الوليد بن طلال (@Alwaleed_Talal) October 28, 2022
