Only about one-third of American adults have a favorable opinion of Elon Musk

Elon Musk has gained power in Washington, D.C. in recent months as President Donald Trump tapped the billionaire entrepreneur to head the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Much of what has transpired with DOGE and other factors has contributed to Musk’s popularity waning, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

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Musk favored by one-third of Americans

Dig deeper:

Only 33% of Americans have a favorable view of Elon Musk, the public face of President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government, compared to 41% in December 2024.

According to the Associated Press-NORC poll, roughly two-thirds of people think Musk has held too much influence over the federal government during the past few months. However, Musk is scheduled to leave his administration job in the coming weeks.

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Downsizing by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was Musk’s innovation during the 2024 presidential campaign. Thousands of federal employees were fired or pushed to quit, contracts have been canceled, and entire federal agencies have been brought to a standstill.

Separately, half of Americans believe Trump has gone too far in reducing the size of the federal workforce, while roughly 3 in 10 think he is on target and 14% want him to go even further.

What they're saying:

The AP spoke with Susan Wolf, a retiree in Pennsylvania who told the news outlet that she thinks the federal government is too big, but Musk has "made a mess of everything."

"I don’t trust him," Wolf said. "I don’t think he knows what he’s doing." The 75-year-old, who is not registered with a political party, said Musk’s private sector success does not translate to Washington.

"He thinks you run a government like you run a business. And you don’t do that," she said. "One is for the benefit of the people, and the other is for the benefit of the corporation."

Political groups divided about Musk 

The other side:

The poll noted that Elon Musk’s growing conservative politics are reflected in the survey, with only 2 in 10 independents and 1 in 10 Democrats viewing Musk favorably, compared with about 7 in 10 Republicans.

Additionally, roughly 7 in 10 independents and about 9 in 10 Democrats believe Musk has too much influence, compared to 4 in 10 Republicans who feel that way.

Republicans are much less likely than Democrats to be worried about being affected by recent cuts to federal government agencies, services, or grants. And 11% shared that they are "extremely" or "very" concerned that they or someone they know will be affected, while two-thirds of Democrats and 44% of independents have those fears.