Musk, Trump Increasingly Unpopular, According to New Poll

President Donald Trump and “First Buddy” Elon Musk have made quite an impression on the American public as they continue to take a wrecking ball to Washington — and it’s not the good kind.

New polling from the University of Massachusetts Amherst reveals that after almost three months in office, a majority of respondents disapprove of Trump’s actions in office. Just 27 percent said they “Strongly Approve” of his job performance, with another 17 percent indicating they “Somewhat Approve” of him so far in his second term, for total favorables of 44 percent. By comparison, 44 percent “Strongly Disapprove,” and 7 percent “Somewhat Disapprove,” for an unfavorability rate of 51 percent.

Trump is also underwater on every issue apart from immigration. At least 40 percent of respondents said he has handled jobs, foreign affairs, civil rights, inflation, and trade “Not Well At All,” with the president receiving especially poor marks on the latter two economic fronts: a combined 62 percent unfavorable on inflation and 58 percent on trade, presumably as the cost of household necessities hasn’t budged, while Trump’s messy tariffs plans have roiled international markets and investment portfolios.

Tatishe Nteta, director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Poll, tells Rolling Stone that “with the stock market in free-fall, prices remaining high, and consumer confidence in the economy at historically low levels, it is no surprise” that Trump has struggled in these areas. “Time will tell if President Trump will be able to regain the momentum and support that catapulted him to a second term in the White House, but at the three-month mark, President Trump and his supporters need to address the economic concerns of the public or face further declines in the president’s approval ratings,” he says.

Trump also fared poorly on questions of his overall effect on the American political landscape, with majorities of respondents saying they were not hopeful about him uniting rather than dividing the country (53 percent) or demonstrating moral leadership in a crisis (51 percent). The UMass polling further revealed broad concern that Trump is weakening American democracy (49 percent), the nation’s standing in the world (49 percent), and public health (47 percent). Overall, 65 percent of respondents opposed the idea of Trump attempting to run for a third term, in defiance of the Constitutional two-term limit for his office, with 93 percent of Democrats and 36 percent of Republicans taking this position. Trump has refused to ruled out the notion, falsely claiming there are “methods” by which he could run again.

And while Trump retains broad approval from self-identified Republicans and conservatives, older Americans, and his base, even some of his supporters are starting to have their doubts: 26 percent of Trump voters expressed concerns about their vote, and 2 percent said they already regretted it. Nteta points out that “his one-time supporters are watching to see if he can deliver on his campaign promise to make America great and wealthy again.”

For Musk, de facto head of the Trump administration’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has blazed a trail of reckless destruction through critical government agencies and fired thousands of workers, the UMass numbers are arguably even more dispiriting. Those polled were asked to rate how they feel about various groups, as well as Musk individually, from 0 to 100, on a scale of “coldest” to “warmest.” Musk clocked in at an average of 37, five points lower than he did in October 2024, and far below federal employees, whom he has routinely disparaged and dismissed in mass firings. They scored a 58. He also ranked lower than transgender people (45) and Democrats and Republicans (both at 41).

Other poll questions explored sentiment about oligarchy, with 56 percent saying that Musk has too much influence over the federal government and 59 percent signaling that they do not trust him to “avoid using his public position to benefit his business interests.” Majorities likewise did not trust Musk to identify programs to cut (53 percent), protect essential sources of funding (55 percent) or citizens’ private information (57 percent), serve the public interest (56 percent), or communicate accurately with the public (57 percent). Over 70 percent opposed cuts to Social Security and Medicare, both of which Musk has proposed as DOGE targets. A stunning 45 percent said they “somewhat” or “strongly” agree with the statement that the U.S. is “an oligarchy,” defined as “a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes.” Only 28 percent disagreed.

“In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has hinted that Elon Musk’s time in the White House may be drawing to a close,” Nteta notes. (Musk has denied reports of his imminent departure from the administration.) “In the wake of Elon Musk’s failed attempt to elect a conservative judge in Wisconsin, his opposition to Trump’s tariff policies, and the controversies associated with his leadership of DOGE, Trump may believe that Musk, by far the largest donor to his campaign, has become more of a political liability than an asset.”

“We additionally asked Americans to describe Musk in one word, and while the word ‘smart’ was most frequently mentioned, the second most popular word to describe Musk was ‘evil,’ Nteta says. Other popular choices included “Greedy,” “Arrogant,” “Idiot,” and “Weird.” Nteta observes that “Trump has long proven adept at cutting his losses, and if Elon Musk can’t regain a modicum of positive assessments by the public, he is likely going to become another in the long list of former employees of the Trump administration.”

All told, it appears that the honeymoon period for Trump and his right-hand adviser has been incredibly short — if indeed it existed at all. One can only conclude that their openly lawless, corrupt, and chaotic rule has not gone unnoticed by Americans who have meanwhile yet to see Trump’s overstated promises of cheap groceries and national prosperity realized. As in his first term, the reality on the ground tends to undermine what he says on Truth Social and in press conferences. The big difference this time around is that he has a billionaire pal to share the blame.