What's New
Tech billionaire Elon Musk's favorability among Americans is similar to how positively Americans view President-elect Donald Trump, according to a new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll.
Why It Matters
Musk has been a major figure in Trump's transition into his second presidential term. The tech tycoon, whose net worth recently topped $400 billion, was tapped by Trump to lead his proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with biotech entrepreneur and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy after pouring in over $100 million of his own money into Trump's campaign and making public appearances on Trump's behalf before this year's election.
Musk oversees six businesses, including the electric car manufacturer Tesla, the X social media platform and the space technology company SpaceX, while working closely with Trump. The full effects of this powerful alliance between Trump and the tech billionaire are not yet known, but Musk is sure to be a vital part of the second Trump administration.
What To Know
The AP-NORC poll released Wednesday found that roughly 4 in 10 Americans have a somewhat or very favorable view of Musk, which is very similar to the amount of Americans who view Trump positively.
Meanwhile, roughly half of Americans have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of Musk, which is also similar to the amount of Americans who view Trump negatively.
What People Are Saying
Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said of the effects of Musk's ties to Trump on his businesses: "Even though there's a negative impact, in terms of potentially alienating some of their customers that might not be fans of Trump, the benefits far outweigh any negatives when it comes to having a right-hand seat next to Trump in the White House."
Ross Gerber, CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, who identified himself as an investor in Tesla and a driver of Tesla's Cybertruck, said: "Having your CEO not working at your company and working at the job of having to fire government employees...as a shareholder, I'm paying someone to not work for my company."
"As a Cybertruck owner with self-driving that sucks and doesn't work, I'm like, 'Dude, this isn't fair,'" Gerber said.
However, Gerber said he won't stop investing in Musk's businesses.
"I've made a lot of money with Elon," he said. "I'm not in the business of investing based on the popularity of CEOs."
What Happens Next
Shortly after Trump's election win, Musk told an audience of Trump's biggest donors, campaign leaders and appointment seekers at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, that the second Trump administration would be a "revolution."
"The public has given us a mandate that could not be more clear, the clearest mandate. The people have spoken. The people want change," Musk said. "We are going to shake things up. It's going to be a revolution."
As the co-leader of DOGE, Musk will help cut federal spending, despite an apparent conflict of interest with his companies being promised $3 billion spanning almost 100 contracts last year with 17 federal agencies.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
English (US) ·