Elon Musk Disapproval Rating 53% In New Poll: 62% Say Tesla CEO Doesn't Have 'Right Experience' To Make Changes To Government

Billionaire Elon Musk has become a central figure in President Donald Trump's White House administration playing a role in the Department of Government Efficiency, a move that could impact the Tesla Inc TSLA stock price.

A new poll of voters finds minimal approval of the billionaire's role.

What Happened: Musk recently said it was hard juggling his responsibilities between his companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, along with his government work.

A new CNN/SSRS poll found that Musk's work within the government may not be going over as well as the billionaire believes.

Musk scores an approval rating of 35% with a disapproval rating of 53% in the new poll shared Wednesday. Eleven percent of voters have no opinion on the billionaire in the poll.

For comparison, Trump scored an overall approval rating of 45% with a disapproval rating of 54%, similar to Musk. Trump's approval rating was down from 48% in a February CNN poll.

Vice President J.D. Vance has a favorable rating of 33% in the poll with an unfavorable rating of 44%. A higher number of voters had no opinion on Vance with 23% choosing this option.

In the new poll, 62% of voters said Musk does not have the "right experience" to make changes to the government while 61% said Musk does not have the "right judgment' to make changes.

Even some of Trump's supporters question the moves Musk is making with 28% of voters who see Trump's changes to the government necessary doubt Musk's judgment to make changes.

Sixty-two percent of voters in the poll say cuts being made by Trump and Musk are going too far.

Likely not a surprise, the poll results are split by political party with 90% of Republicans concerned about losing important federal programs. Seventy-three percent of Republicans say they are more concerned with fraud and waste than losing federal programs. Sixty-nine percent of Independents say they are more concerned about losing important federal programs.

The poll was conducted March 6 through March 9 and included the results from 1,206 adults. By political party, the poll was made up of 29% Democrats, 30% Republicans and 41% Independents.

Why It's Important: Polls on approval ratings for Musk have become more frequent with his push into politics.

A February Emerson College poll of voters asked for approval ratings about how well Musk was doing at the Department of Government Efficiency. In that poll, Musk had a 41% approval rating, with 45% disapproving and 14% neutral.

In that poll, Musk had a lower approval rating than Trump at 48% and a higher disapproval rating at 42%.

That poll showed voters had minimal support for DOGE and the Trump administration's plans to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Education.

The big question from the approval polls on Musk will be how they translate to the companies he runs.

Tesla took a hit to its brand value in a Brand Finance survey in 2024. The company lost $15 billion in brand value and dropped 18 places in the rankings to 36.

The electric vehicle company has been the subject of calls for boycotts in European nations due to Musk’s political beliefs. Sales of Tesla vehicles have fallen in Europe.

Musk’s approval rating as a CEO and as a politician are likely two different things, but for investors and Tesla shareholders, the hope is that they can stay separate and not translate to overall disapproval of Musk as a person and leader.

TSLA Price Action: Tesla stock closed Thursday down 2.99% to $240.68 versus a 52-week trading range of $138.80 to $488.54. Tesla stock is down 36.5% year-to-date in 2025

Tesla stock is now trading below where it was when Trump won the 2024 election. Tesla stock closed at $251.44 on Nov. 5 and opened for trading at $284.67 on Nov. 6 after Trump’s victory was confirmed.

The stock is down over 50% from all-time highs set in December.

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