Americans are souring on Elon Musk but approve of President Donald Trump's handling of the economy in the earliest weeks of his second term, according to recent polls.
Why It Matters
Musk is leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a nongovernmental task force aimed at cutting unnecessary federal spending. The extent of these cuts is unclear at this point, but major government agencies could see widespread reductions.
However, skeptics are concerned that critical government services could be affected. Criticism also grew after an Associated Press report that DOGE officials have accessed sensitive information about Americans through the U.S. Treasury payment systems.
What To Know
A YouGov/The Economist poll, conducted among 1,604 Americans from February 2 to 4, found that more Americans approve of Trump's handling of the economy than those who don't. Forty-four percent of respondents gave him positive marks on the economy, compared with the 39 percent who don't approve of his handling of it.
However, the respondents were less sold on Musk's influence on the government.
Fifty-one percent of respondents believe the tech billionaire has "a lot" of influence on the Trump administration, but only 13 percent want him to have a high amount of influence, the poll found. In fact, 46 percent said they want him to have no influence at all.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found "significant" support for Trump's federal employee hiring freeze—with 49 percent saying they agree with the policy. It polled 1,034 adults from January 24 to 26.
Grant Davis Reeher, a professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Newsweek on Thursday that it's not surprising that some Americans are souring on Musk.
"Musk has a verbal style similar to President Trump's, but he doesn't have the same level of devotion from the public, so more of what he says is going to turn people off rather than on," he said.
"Add to that his controversial hand gesture and the reports of his access to data in the Treasury payment system, and it's not surprising that his own public support has been shown to be thinner rather than deeper," Reeher said.
The White House may get Musk to police his behavior and rhetoric more carefully, but he may not get "pitched out of the boat as readily as a more typical political figure might if they started to become a drag on the administration," Reeher said.
In a statement to Newsweek, a White House official said DOGE is fulfilling Trump's campaign pledge to make government "more accountable, efficient and, most importantly, restoring proper stewardship of the American taxpayer's hard-earned dollars."
"The ongoing operations of DOGE may be seen as disruptive by those entrenched in the federal bureaucracy, who resist change. While change can be uncomfortable, it is necessary and aligns with the mandate supported by more than 77 million American voters," the official said.
A Data for Progress poll, which surveyed 1,195 likely voters from December 14 to 15, found that 51 percent of respondents believed Musk would use DOGE to benefit his own businesses and enrich himself rather than focus on efficiency.
A Morning Consult poll, conducted among 2,000 registered voters and published Wednesday, found that 46 percent of Americans don't approve of Musk's involvement in the government, compared with 41 percent who do.
Among independents, 53 percent disapproved of Musk being involved in the Trump administration, while 28 percent approved his involvement, the poll found.
Other Trump policies are not popular. For instance, the YouGov poll found that most Americans don't support his efforts to impose 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico, which have been delayed.
The survey found that 33 percent of Americans support the tariffs, compared with 49 percent who do not.
What People Are Saying
Harry Enten, CNN polling analyst, said about a Quinnipiac University poll: "The American people did not sign up for this. They voted in Donald Trump. They did not vote in Elon Musk. A key role for Musk in Trump's administration—you see this, 39 percent support; 53 percent, a clear majority, oppose. They don't want this. The American people don't want this."
Vice President JD Vance said on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday: "'No one voted for Elon Musk.' (They did, however, vote for Donald Trump, who promised repeatedly to have Elon Musk root out wasteful spending in our government.)"
What Happens Next
Musk's involvement is expected to continue generating backlash from Democrats, who have pushed back against his access to Treasury payments data, as well as his efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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