Billionaire Elon Musk is reportedly viewed unfavorably by a majority of Americans amid his role as President Donald Trump‘s most visible advisor, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The survey, which was conduced between March 31 and April 2, showed that 57% of Americans viewed Musk unfavorably, while only 39% viewed him favorably. The poll results came after Musk was already facing public backlash, with his Tesla electric car company announcing its sales plunged 13% during the first quarter of the fiscal year, its weakest total in nearly three years.
Musk also recently poured millions into a Wisconsin Supreme Court race only to have his candidate, conservative Brad Schimel, lose to liberal Susan Crawford.
“I think it’s a strong argument that the net impact of Musk was a bit negative,” said pollster Charles Franklin via Reuters. “And he provided a foil for Democrats to use in campaign messaging.”
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that President Trump’s approval rating fell to 43%, the lowest of any point in his second term. The survey showed Trump’s job approval rating drop 2% since the previous March 21-23 poll, as well as 4% from his 47% approval rating shortly after taking office in January.
The president’s highest approval rating at any point in the Reuters/Ipsos poll was 49% shortly after he took office for his first term in January 2017 and his lowest was 33% in December of that same year. The average approval rating for a U.S. president is 52% and the average for their first quarter of their first year in office is 61%.
Former President Joe Biden‘s lowest approval rating of 35% came just prior to 2024 presidential election, which saw Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris handedly, in November. Trump was reported to have received a 37% approval for his handling of the economy and 30% for his effort to address the high cost of living, an issue that hurt Biden’s outlook as well.
Additionally, 52% of respondents believed that Trump’s plan to increase tariffs on automobiles and auto parts would hurt people close to them and would do more harm than good.
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