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Americans are overwhelmingly unhappy with Tesla (TSLA+1.13%) CEO Elon Musk’s cost-cutting efforts for the Trump Administration, with his disapproval rating rising to 57% from 49% in February in an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll released Monday.
The poll found that just 35% of Americans approve of Musk’s job performance, about the same as in February. That puts him below President Donald Trump’s own poll numbers; the president’s job approval rating sank to 39% at the 100-day mark of his administration, while 55% of Americans disapprove, according to another poll by ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos released on Sunday.
Musk’s slide in the polls mirrors the public’s dislike of the job cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that he heads. In the poll released Sunday, 56% percent said Trump is going too far in laying off federal workers and 57% think the president is going too far in closing federal agencies. Among those Americans unhappy with the cuts to the federal government, Musk has only a 6% approval rating, while 89% disapprove.
Party affiliation also plays a roll in perceptions of Musk. Only 4% of Democrats approve of his work in the administration, compared with 73% of Republicans and 32% of independents.
On a call with Tesla investors last week, Musk said he would be cutting back on his work with DOGE.