Topline
Americans have a largely negative view of Elon Musk, according to a new CNN poll that also found the majority of respondents also disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy—as his trade war has been linked to a market slide and recession fears.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as they stand next to … [+]
Key Facts
More than half of respondents, 53%, rated Musk negatively, while 35% said they have a positive view and 11% had no opinion, according to the March 6-9 poll of 1,206 U.S. adults (margin of error 3.3).
Musk’s approval rating is below both Trump’s and Vice President JD Vance’s, who are both underwater, with Trump’s overall job approval rating at 45% and Vance’s at 33%.
More than 60% said Musk—who leads the Department of Government Efficiency tasked with slashing the federal workforce—has neither the experience nor the judgement to carry out Trump’s sweeping changes to the federal government, though there are stark divides in sentiment between those who support Trump and those who don’t, with at least 75% of Trump supporters and less than 10% of those who have a negative opinion of Trump saying Musk has the right judgement and experience.
While the majority, 62%, of respondents said they’re worried the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government will go too far, respondents were largely split along party lines: 90% of Democrats and 69% of independents said they are concerned about losing important federal programs, while 73% of Republicans said they’re more concerned fraud and waste will continue to be an issue.
Four February polls—from Washington Post-Ipsos, Quinnipiac, Emerson and Marist—found disapproval of Musk or DOGE outpaced approval, though a Harvard-Harris poll suggests Americans have an appetite for government cuts generally, with 72% responding “yes” when asked if there should be a government agency focused on efficiency initiatives.
Big Number
56%. That’s the share of respondents to the CNN poll who said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy.
Tangent
Musk’s recent comments suggesting he’s eyeing cuts to entitlement programs could threaten to further dent his approval rating, as Social Security and Medicaid are broadly popular among the American public. A January AP-NORC poll found 67% of respondents said the government spends “too little” on Social Security, and 55% said it spends too little on Medicaid. Meanwhile, 77% of Republican respondents to a recent poll by the health policy research group, KFF, said they want Congress to increase or maintain spending on Medicaid.
Key Background
Some Republican lawmakers have publicly raised concerns about Musk’s sweeping federal government cuts spearheaded by DOGE, while some cabinet officials have also reportedly taken Musk to task behind closed doors about the potentially negative impact the cuts will have on key government services. While Trump has reportedly defended Musk, he also recently told cabinet officials they have the final authority when it comes to firing decisions and layoffs, not Musk. Trump later clarified that if agency leaders don’t make the necessary cuts, Musk will do it for them, telling reporters “if they can cut, it’s better. And if they don’t cut, then Elon will do the cutting.” Musk’s authority in the federal government is the target of several lawsuits, though the Trump administration has insisted he works in an advisory capacity as a “special government employee” required to work a minimum number of hours each year and is not paid.
Further Reading
Here’s Where Trump’s Government Layoffs Are Targeted—As Education Department Cuts Nearly 50% Of Workforce (Forbes)
Trump Denies Blowup Between Musk And Rubio: ‘No Clash’ (Forbes)
Trump Gets Behind The Wheel Of A Tesla To Support Elon Musk As Company Stock Falls (Forbes)
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