Public sours on Musk’s role, is skeptical that government is cutting waste

Article content

Americans are increasingly critical of Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration, with a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll finding negative reactions to some cuts made by his U.S. DOGE Service and skeptical that the government is cutting waste and fraud.

The poll finds 35 percent of Americans approve of the way Musk is handling his job in the Trump administration, while 57 percent disapprove. Negative ratings of Musk are up from 49 percent in February, while his approval has shifted little from 34 percent two months ago. He remains less popular than President Donald Trump, who has a 39 percent approval rating and a 55 percent disapproval rating.

Disapproval of Musk is up among almost all demographic groups in the poll, including by double digits among adults under 30 (from 51 percent to 62 percent), independents who do not lean toward either party (from 41 percent to 57 percent) and those without college degrees (from 44 percent to 54 percent).

Musk’s DOGE Service – which stands for Department of Government Efficiency – has claimed to cut wasteful and fraudulent government spending. He recently said his group identified $150 billion in savings for the 2026 fiscal year – far lower than targets he had previously identified.

While 43 percent of Americans say federal government waste has decreased under Trump, a majority say waste has either stayed the same (31 percent) or increased (25 percent). Asked about fraud, the public splits into approximate thirds: 34 percent say it has increased under Trump, 32 percent say it has decreased and 34 percent say it has stayed the same.

The poll also finds 77 percent of Americans opposed to reducing federal funding for medical research, along with 62 percent who oppose freezing foreign aid that provides food and health services for people in poor countries. The Post previously reported National Institutes of Health funding has declined by almost 60 percent since Trump took office. DOGE’s team terminated key food and emergency medical assistance across Africa and the Middle East earlier in April, and also essentially shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development.

On a broader level, almost 6 in 10 adults say they are concerned that Trump will do too much to reduce the size and role of government in U.S. society. In late 2021, a similar majority were concerned about President Joe Biden increasing the government’s role.

Musk’s role in the White House moving forward is unclear. He has clashed with other Trump advisers and profits at his car company, Tesla, have plunged. Last Tuesday, Musk told investors that “his time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly” starting next month.

The Post-ABC-Ipsos poll was conducted online April 18-22 among 2,464 U.S. adults. The sample was drawn through the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, an ongoing panel of U.S. households recruited by mail using random sampling methods. Overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus two points.