Two-Thirds Of Americans Think Elon Musk Has Too Much Power In Trump Administration, New Poll Finds

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Baila Eve ZismanMay 2, 2025, 6:15 pmNews >

As Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, exacts more power in Washington, a new poll shows that his popularity is tanking as his influence increases.

Head of the new government agency DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), Musk has become the public face of President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government. Nicknamed “The Shadow President,” Musk has made an effort to assert his financial dominance over Trump since the start of his second term in a series of social and political power plays, including pointedly dressing down for White House events and taking his young son to business affairs unprompted.

Musk’s excessive influence over the government may soon be ending, as he is expected to leave his administration job in the next few weeks after losing more money than anyone in history during his three months working for Trump.

The poll, conducted by the Associated Press NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, shows that just 33% of Americans have favorable opinions of Musk, which has fallen 41% since December.

The other two-thirds of adults who participated in the study said they believe Musk has too much power in Washington, and find the influence he has procured over the government in the first four months of Trump’s second term concerning.

The poll found that 4 in 10 Republicans believe that Musk has too much influence, compared to 9 out of 10 Democrats and 7 out of 10 Independents. While only 1 in 10 Democrats and 2 in 10 Independents have positive perceptions of Musk, 7 in 10 Republicans are satisfied with his work.

The downsizing of the government has seen thousands of federal employees fired or pushed to quit, with contracts nullified and entire agencies halted. About half of U.S. adults believe that Trump overstepped in his reduction of the federal workforce, while 14% want him to go further.

As Tesla stock has been plummeting since December 2024, Musk promised shareholders he would return his attention to his enterprise. Amid protests against Musk, Tesla’s stock sank 36% in the first quarter of 2025 – wiping out over $460 billion in market value. The company’s net income plunged by 71% in Q1 2025, and Musk’s personal net worth has suffered a blow of over $120 million since December.