So, like, some new poll just came out, and it looks like Elon Musk is not really winning any popularity contests when it comes to his work with President Donald Trump. According to this ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, only 35% of Americans are giving the thumbs up to Musk’s job performance for the Trump administration. On the flip side, a whopping 57% are saying “nah, not feeling it,” which is pretty much on par with how people are rating Trump himself.
The main reason behind Musk’s low ratings seems to be his involvement in the government’s cuts to federal workers. Like, 56% of folks are saying that Trump is going overboard with the layoffs, which Musk is all about. And then, 57% are also saying that Trump is doing too much by closing federal agencies. So basically, people are not vibing with Musk’s approach to slimming down the government.
When it comes to the layoffs, Musk is getting a sad 6% approval from those who think it’s too much, compared to a much better 72% approval from those who think the layoffs are just right or not enough. Other cuts, like shutting down the Department of Education and reducing funds for medical research, are even more unpopular. A big 66% are against closing the Education Department, and a whopping 77% are against cutting medical research funding. And surprise, surprise, those who are against these cuts are also not fans of Musk’s work.
People’s opinions on waste in the government are also playing a role here. Around 43% think waste has gone down since Trump took office, and Musk is getting a solid 67% approval from these folks. But for the 67% who think waste is still a big issue, Musk is only getting a 10% approval rating. Ouch. The same goes for fraud – those who think fraud has decreased are cool with Musk, but the majority who think it’s still a problem are not feeling it.
The poll also shows that political party affiliation is a big factor. Only 4% of Democrats approve of Musk’s work, which is the same as Trump’s approval rating in that group. Independents are giving Musk a 32% approval rating, while Republicans are more on board with a 73% approval rating – though still lower than Trump’s 83%.
It’s pretty clear that Musk’s popularity is tied to Trump’s, who is not exactly winning any popularity contests himself. Eighty percent of those who approve of Trump also approve of Musk, while only 5% of Trump disapprovers are cool with Musk.
Tesla, the company Musk founded, just reported a drop in revenue and profits, which might be adding to the negative vibes around him. Musk even said he’s gonna scale back his government role in the near future. So, yeah, things are not looking too great for him right now.
The poll was conducted online with a random sample of 2,464 adults, and the results have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. So, yeah, Elon Musk might wanna work on winning over some hearts if he wants to turn those approval ratings around.
