WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Tech billionaire Elon Musk has lost some of his luster with Republicans since his with President Donald Trump last week, a new survey finds.
Fewer Republicans view Trump's onetime government efficiency bulldog 鈥渧ery favorably鈥� , according to the poll from .
Though most Republicans continue to hold a positive view of Musk, their diminished fervor suggests his to Trump's signature spending and tax cut legislation 鈥� and Musk's 鈥� may have cost him some enthusiasm within the party.
鈥淪ome things have happened lately that have changed how I feel about him a little,鈥� said Alabama Republican Katye Long, whose feelings for Musk have cooled to 鈥渟omewhat favorable.鈥�
鈥淚 liked what he was doing when he was helping. But now I feel like he鈥檚 kind of hurting,鈥� said the 34-year-old automotive component factory employee and mother of three from Woodstock, Alabama. 鈥淚 also don鈥檛 feel like he matters that much. He鈥檚 not actually part of the government. He鈥檚 just a rich guy who pushes his opinions.鈥�
Musk's overall popularity hasn't shifted, the poll found, and most of the shift among Democrats and Republicans was between 鈥渧ery鈥� and 鈥渟omewhat鈥� strong opinions. Americans are less likely to view him favorably than his electric vehicle company, Tesla. That said, about half of Americans have a negative opinion of Tesla, highlighting another challenge for Musk when the company has and in the U.S. and Europe. About one-third have a favorable view of Tesla, while about 2 in 10 don't know enough to say.
Republicans' enthusiasm waned, but so did Democrats' antipathy
Even a subtle shift in the intensity of Republicans鈥� feelings about Musk could be important as the electric car and aerospace mogul weighs a second political act after in service of Trump鈥檚 2024 election effort.
After decrying the GOP鈥檚 massive tax and budget policy bill as 鈥渁 disgusting abomination,鈥� Musk wrote on X, his social media platform, 鈥淚n November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people.鈥�
The poll suggests the messy feud with Trump may have rubbed some Republicans the wrong way, as the share of Republicans viewing Musk as 鈥渧ery favorable鈥� has dropped from 38% in April to 26% now. At the same time, antipathy toward Musk among Democrats has waned a little. About two-thirds, 65%, of Democrats have a very negative view of Musk, down slightly from about three-quarters, 74%, in April.
Musk's bitter back-and-forth with Trump has business implications, too. Tesla was already struggling with a backlash against Musk's association with Trump. in May, even as growth in the electric car market accelerated. Then the company's shares when Musk began sparring publicly with the president.
Victoria Brown, of Kansas City, Kansas, rated Tesla 鈥渟omewhat unfavorable鈥� because she objects to how Trump is conducting his administration and links the company鈥檚 owner with the president鈥檚 agenda.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 favor Trump. So, pretty much the fact that they have been working together means I don鈥檛 care too much for Tesla,鈥� said Brown, 63, a political independent and an insurance agent.
Musk's overall approval remains unchanged
While the intensity of people's feelings about Musk may have changed, their overall opinions have not. About one-third of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Musk, compared with about 6 in 10 who hold an unfavorable view, while about 1 in 10 don't know enough to say. That's unchanged from the April poll.
The new poll was conducted June 5-9, after Musk and began attacking Trump's marquee legislative priority.
Musk's public clash with Trump began four days after Trump during an Oval Office event discharging him from duties as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
After first tearing down the budget bill, Musk two days later complained he had never seen the language, and he aimed his fire at Trump, suggesting the president didn't sufficiently appreciate the role Musk assumed as the chief benefactor to Trump's reelection effort.
鈥淲ithout me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate,鈥� Musk wrote. 鈥淪uch ingratitude.鈥�
Musk went on to claim without evidence that the federal government was concealing information about Trump's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. , and early Wednesday he stepped back from his attacks on Trump, that he regretted some of his posts and they 鈥渨ent too far.鈥�
Views of Tesla are far more negative than other car companies
Tesla endured , with its while the world鈥檚 leading electric car manufacturer faced . The new poll also shows that Tesla is viewed far more negatively than some of its peers 鈥� notably, Ford, Toyota and General Motors.
Only about one-third of U.S. adults have a 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat鈥� favorable view of Tesla. About half of U.S. adults have an unfavorable opinion of Tesla, including 30% of Republicans. Democrats, at 66%, are more than twice as likely as Republicans to have a negative view of Tesla. But even among Republicans, Tesla is viewed less favorably than the other brands.
Marisa Mills is no Musk fan. The 41-year-old teacher from Oakland, California, objects to his association with Trump and what the Democrat sees as their misguided notion that government is always well served by operating like a business.
And yet she was once proud to have Tesla building cars in her own county. She soured on the company in 2020, when Musk sued Alameda County over its workplace restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, before he moved the company to Texas in 2021.
鈥淢y government is supposed to serve the people, not his company. We were all glad to see him go,鈥� Mills said. 鈥淚 do regret that we now have feelings of regret for the Tesla car product. We were once so proud.鈥�
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Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.
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The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC鈥檚 probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
___ The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Thomas Beaumont And Linley Sanders, The Associated Press
