Public sours on Musk’s role, is skeptical that government is cutting waste 28APR25

musk and donald drumpf / trump are and will always be SUPER CALLOUS, FRAGILE, RACIST, SEXIST, NAZI loathsome creatures pretending to be president but they will NEVER be my president, will never be president of all Americans who love our country. From the Washington Post.....

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

Thirty-five percent of Americans approve of the way Musk is handling his job in the Trump administration, while 57 percent disapprove, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll shows.

April 28, 2025 at 6:00 a.m. EDTToday at 6:00 a.m. EDT

By Emily Guskin

 and 

Scott Clement

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 that 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. On 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.

Trump presidency

Follow live updates on the Trump administration. We’re tracking President Donald Trump’s progress on campaign promises and legal challenges to his executive orders and actions.

Tariffs and the economy: In April, Trump announced new tariffs of 125 percent on Chinese imports, while more than 75 other countries — set to face what the White House calls “reciprocal” tariffs — have been negotiating and would immediately see their levies set to 10 percent for 90 days, rather than higher rates announced previously. Here’s an inside look at Trump’s decision and how the trillions of dollars in new tariffs could affect you.

Harvard feud: The Trump administration has asked the Internal Revenue Service’s top attorney to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status amid Trump’s fight with the institution over its handling of antisemitism and diversity practices. Experts say there is no proof that Harvard has violated tax laws that prohibit them from engaging in certain political activity. Here’s what to know.

Federal workers: The Trump administration continues to work to downsize the federal government, eliminating thousands of jobs at agencies, including HHS, USAID, the IRS, the Social Security Administration, the Education Department, the Defense Department, the National Weather Service and the National Park Service.

U.S. DOGE Service: Elon Musk and his team have moved to dismantle some U.S. agencies, push out hundreds of thousands of civil servants and gain access to some of the federal government’s most sensitive payment systems. Here’s who is working for DOGE.

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By Emily Guskin

Emily Guskin is the deputy polling director at The Washington Post, specializing in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. She was part of The Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2024.

By Scott Clement

Scott Clement is the polling director for The Washington Post, conducting national and local surveys on politics, the economy, the workplace and social issues since joining The Post in 2011. He previously worked on polling teams at the Pew Research Center and ABC News.