Trump and Musk poll shows how popular they are - and they should be worried

New polls have revealed that US President Donald Trump and his senior advisor, Elon Musk, are not doing well when it comes to popularity.

Since returning to the White House three months ago, an Amherst poll from the University of Massachusetts has found that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump's job performance.

With approval ratings, 44 per cent approve while 51 per cent disapprove of the job Trump is doing so far.

Trump's first three months have certainly been eventful, from his controversial trade tariff policy adding to the economic uncertainty to a tough crackdown on immigration.

In the poll, 62 per cent of Americans think Trump is not handling inflation well, and 58 per cent believe he is mishandling trade policy.

"Arguably, the belief that Joe Biden and the Democrats were mishandling the economy doomed the presidential aspirations of Kamala Harris in 2024. Unless Trump and the Republicans turn things around quickly, they are likely to face similar retribution in upcoming elections," said Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll.

President Donald Trump watches the Ultimate Fighting Championship with Elon Musk at the Kaseya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, FloridaPhoto by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

He also appointed the world's richest man to lead the new so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the goal of cutting $1 trillion in government spending by the end of the fiscal year on September 30.

Despite the chaos of cancelling contracts, cutting federal programs and firing thousands of federal employees, which made headlines, Musk has admitted he may only cut 15 per cent of the original goal.

Combine that with the whole Nazi salute accusations from Trump's inauguration, and throwing $25 million at Republican judge Brad Schimel's campaign in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, it's predictable that another University of Massachusetts Amherst poll found most Americans do not trust him to identify federal programs to cut (53 per cent), protect the private information of citizens (55 per cent), or to avoid using his position to benefit his business interests (59 per cent).

"Given the unpopularity of Musk’s efforts to rein in federal spending, it is no surprise that many expect Musk to return to his businesses and to put Washington, D.C., in his rearview mirror," said Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst and director of the poll, as Musk has said he reckons most of DOGE’s work will be completed by the end of May.

But those aren't the only polls charting Musk's falling popularity, as new polling averages aggregated by statistician Nate Silver show 39.4 per cent of Americans have a positive view of Musk, but the majority (52.7 per cent) have a negative view of him.

Silver believes Musk will "remain an exceptionally important and controversial public figure even if he does. Until then, he could be a liability for Trump because he’s less popular than the president is even as Trump’s numbers have also declined."

Elsewhere, 'They want to wreck it, so they can rob it': Biden slams Trump administration, and Donald Trump wants to deport 'home grown' US criminals to El Salvador.

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