Senate Democrats say X gave Polymarket ads special treatment, a day before midterms

A group of Senate Democrats has accused Elon Musk's social media platform X of giving the prediction market Polymarket "preferential treatment" on its timeline ¹. A prediction market is a website where people bet money on the outcome of events, including elections and sports.

The letter went to X leadership on Friday. It was signed by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Adam Schiff of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut ¹.

What the senators say they found

The senators sent screenshots showing three apparent attempts to report Polymarket ads on X. In each, the platform did not give the user the option to report ¹. Fox 5 Las Vegas reported that other ads, including ads from the rival Kalshi, can be reported ².

The letter was addressed to X's chief compliance officer, Rob DeCampos ². The senators asked whether Trump, Trump Jr. or representatives of the Trump family approached X about running the ads ¹.

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This seemingly preferential treatment calls into question whether X is attempting to provide an undue competitive advantage to Polymarket and – by extension – the President and his family

The Trump family connection

The senators point to Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, who serves on Polymarket's advisory board. His venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, became one of Polymarket's biggest financial backers in September ¹. He also advises Kalshi and has a financial stake in that company ¹.

The letter adds: "It would not be the first time Donald Trump Jr. has attempted to use his position to enrich himself" ². Musk was a top ally of the president early in his second term, and the two have since reconciled ahead of the midterms ¹.

The legal fight behind the ads

The letter also cites two federal appeals court rulings this year, from the Sixth and Ninth Circuits. They held that states can regulate prediction markets the way they regulate gambling and sportsbooks ¹.

The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals went the other way in April. It let Kalshi keep operating in New Jersey while its appeal continues, finding the company likely to succeed in arguing that federal law overrides the state's rules ¹. The conflicting rulings are setting up a fight at the U.S. Supreme Court ¹.

The senators asked how X "plans to ensure prediction market ads featuring sports are banned from the platform in states" following those rulings. They gave DeCampos until Nov. 30 to respond ¹.

What happens next

Polymarket, X and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment ¹. Fox 5 also reported no statement from X or Polymarket ². Until X answers, the senators' claims remain allegations. The screenshots show three attempts, not a full audit of how the platform works.

That matters because X is a major place where Americans read about the election. Questions about who gets favored there are fair to ask, and the letter says the Trump family has a financial stake in the answer.

The Record

1. Oct 30, 2026Four Senate Democrats send a letter to X leadership alleging preferential treatment of Polymarket ads ¹.
2. Nov 2, 2026Semafor first reports the letter, and Nevada outlets pick it up; X and Polymarket have not responded ¹².
3. Nov 30, 2026Deadline the senators set for X to answer their questions ¹.

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<h2>Senate Democrats say X gave Polymarket ads special treatment, a day before midterms</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/senate-democrats-say-x-gave-polymarket-ads-special-treatment-a-day-before-midterms">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 2, 2026.</em></p> <p>A group of Senate Democrats has accused Elon Musk&#39;s social media platform X of giving the prediction market Polymarket &quot;preferential treatment&quot; on its timeline . A prediction market is a website where people bet money on the outcome of events, including elections and sports.</p> <p>The letter went to X leadership on Friday. It was signed by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Adam Schiff of California and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut .</p> <h2>What the senators say they found</h2> <p>The senators sent screenshots showing three apparent attempts to report Polymarket ads on X. In each, the platform did not give the user the option to report . Fox 5 Las Vegas reported that other ads, including ads from the rival Kalshi, can be reported .</p> <p>The letter was addressed to X&#39;s chief compliance officer, Rob DeCampos . The senators asked whether Trump, Trump Jr. or representatives of the Trump family approached X about running the ads .</p> <blockquote><p>This seemingly preferential treatment calls into question whether X is attempting to provide an undue competitive advantage to Polymarket and – by extension – the President and his family</p><p>&mdash; Catherine Cortez Masto, U.S. senator, Democrat-Nevada, co-signer of the letter with Sens. Rosen, Schiff and Blumenthal</p></blockquote> <h2>The Trump family connection</h2> <p>The senators point to Donald Trump Jr., the president&#39;s son, who serves on Polymarket&#39;s advisory board. His venture capital firm, 1789 Capital, became one of Polymarket&#39;s biggest financial backers in September . He also advises Kalshi and has a financial stake in that company .</p> <p>The letter adds: &quot;It would not be the first time Donald Trump Jr. has attempted to use his position to enrich himself&quot; . Musk was a top ally of the president early in his second term, and the two have since reconciled ahead of the midterms .</p> <h2>The legal fight behind the ads</h2> <p>The letter also cites two federal appeals court rulings this year, from the Sixth and Ninth Circuits. They held that states can regulate prediction markets the way they regulate gambling and sportsbooks .</p> <p>The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals went the other way in April. It let Kalshi keep operating in New Jersey while its appeal continues, finding the company likely to succeed in arguing that federal law overrides the state&#39;s rules . The conflicting rulings are setting up a fight at the U.S. Supreme Court .</p> <p>The senators asked how X &quot;plans to ensure prediction market ads featuring sports are banned from the platform in states&quot; following those rulings. They gave DeCampos until Nov. 30 to respond .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Polymarket, X and the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to requests for comment . Fox 5 also reported no statement from X or Polymarket . Until X answers, the senators&#39; claims remain allegations. The screenshots show three attempts, not a full audit of how the platform works.</p> <p>That matters because X is a major place where Americans read about the election. Questions about who gets favored there are fair to ask, and the letter says the Trump family has a financial stake in the answer.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/senate-democrats-say-x-gave-polymarket-ads-special-treatment-a-day-before-midterms">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/senate-democrats-say-x-gave-polymarket-ads-special-treatment-a-day-before-midterms.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Democrats accuse Musk's X of favoring Polymarket” (2026-11-03). thehill.com/policy/technology/6190741-democrats-accuse-x-pol
2. Fox 5 Las Vegas, “Nevada Senators accuse Twitter of bias towards Polymarket” (2026-11-02). fox5vegas.com/2026/11/02/nevada-senators-accuse-twitter-bias

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