Republicans' enthusiasm for Musk drops after Trump feud, poll shows
FILE-Elon Musk and President Donald Trump speak to members of the media while looking at a Tesla Model S vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Elon Musk has lost some of his appeal with Republicans following his public spat with President Donald Trump.
A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds that fewer Republicans view Musk "very favorably." The AP-NORC poll comprised of 1,158 adults and was conducted June 5-9.
Republicans' enthusiasm for Musk diminished, but so did Democrats' bitterness
Dig deeper: The poll suggests the messy feud with Elon Musk and President Donald Trump bothered Republicans, with several of them viewing Musk as "very favorable" dwindling from 38% in April to 26% now.
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But animosity toward Musk among Democrats has changed somewhat, with 65% of Democrats having an extremely negative view of Musk, which has dropped a little from 74%, in April.
Musk was critical of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and budget policy legislation calling it "a disgusting abomination," he later wrote on X, his social media platform, "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people."
Americans have an unfavorable view of Musk and Tesla
Big picture view: The poll noted that Americans are less likely to view Elon Musk favorably than his electric vehicle company, Tesla.
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According to the poll, roughly one-third of Americans have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Tesla. And half of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Tesla, including 30% of Republicans. But 2 in 10 respondents admit they don’t know enough to have an opinion.
Approximately 66% of Democrats are more than twice as likely as Republicans to have a negative view of Tesla. But even among the GOP, Tesla is deemed less favorable than the other companies.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll which surveyed 1,158 adults between June 5-9. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.