Rasmussen: Media Tarnishing Image of Elon Musk While His Mission Remains Popular

According to Rasmussen Reports, the media’s campaign to smear Elon Musk is dinging his popularity - while his plans to cut government remain popular. 

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters view Musk favorably – down slightly from 48% earlier this month – including 28% with a Very Favorable impression. Now Fifty percent (50%) now view Musk unfavorably, including 41% with a Very Unfavorable opinion of the tech mogul tapped by President Donald Trump to lead DOGE.

This has coincided with an escalation of violence against all things related to Musk. Tesla charging stations and dealerships have been destroyed, Tesla owners have had their cars vandalized, and anti-Musk protests outside of dealerships are becoming common. Additionally, Musk has faced a media onslaught, attracting more negative coverage than the next 49 leading CEOs combined. 

Yet cutting government spending is still popular. 

We asked voters if they agreed with this quote: “Everyone knows that getting rid of the deficit will require some tough decisions, and that includes cutting back on billions of dollars in programs that a lot of people care about. What should be easy is getting rid of the pointless waste and stupid spending that doesn't benefit anybody."

Sixty-five percent (65%) agree, including 42% who Strongly Agree, while 28% disagree with that quote, including 16% who Strongly Disagree.

Amusingly, the quote was actually from Barack Obama in 2011.

The main difference between Obama and Musk is that Musk actually took initiative to cut spending. 

Thus far, the DOGE website estimates savings of $140 billion, which equals almost $900 per taxpayer. 

The most savings were made at the Department of Health and Human Services, Education Department, General Services Administration, Small Business Administration, and Office of Personal Management, while the least savings so far have been at the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Veterans Affairs, Energy, and NASA.