Elon Musk's Approval Rating Plunges to New Low

Elon Musk's job approval dropped to 41 percent in a new poll, the lowest rating recorded since the Trump administration entered power.

The top Trump advisor's work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency was disapproved of by 58 percent of respondents, according to a survey from Marquette Law School. Musk's personal favorability was even lower, with just 38 percent approving of his general behavior.

Why It Matters

Musk has rapidly become one of the most prominent members of the Trump administration, taking a public-facing position as both President Donald Trump's top advisor and the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which has been responsible for some of the biggest changes to the federal government in recent history.

The new poll comes at a time when reactions to the first 100 days of Trump's second term are beginning to emerge.

What To Know

In the survey, which interviewed over 1,000 U.S. citizens, Musk was ranked below Donald Trump for job approval, with Trump's work as president so far being backed by 46 percent of Americans, while Musk's was backed by just 41 percent.

Previously, Musk had a 15 percent disapproval rating, according to a survey run by the Washington Post in February. Since then, Musk has become significantly more active in down-ballot races and state-level politics.

The poll, which was conducted from March 17-27, comes just hours after Musk's chosen candidate lost the Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

Brad Schimel, who Musk backed heavily with over $22 million in donations and personal appearances, lost to Democrat-backed Susan Crawford, in an election that many characterized as a rejection of Musk and the Trump administration more widely.

The poll also found that some of Trump's policies that Musk had backed heavily had become unpopular with the majority of respondents. Trump's repeated calls to make Canada the 51st state, which was followed by Musk branding Canada as "not a real country", was opposed by 75 percent of those surveyed.

What People Are Saying

When asked to address the opposition to his role in the White House in March, Elon Musk said: "It's really come as quite a shock to me, this violence from the left. I thought the Democrats were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring, and yet they're burning down cars, and firing bullets into dealerships.

"I've never done anything harmful; I've always done productive things. So there's some kind of mental illness thing going on because this doesn't make any sense."

What Happens Next

Musk is expected to continue in his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, but the recent results in Wisconsin may alter the way he interacts with elections and the wider public in the future.