Elon Musk, once hailed as a business genius and tech innovator, has seen his popularity plummet in recent months. A recent survey revealed that only 33% of U. S. adults hold a favorable opinion of him. This is a significant drop from the 41% who viewed him positively just a few months ago.  The survey also found that a majority of Americans believe Musk has had too much influence over the federal government.

Musk's influence in Washington has been tied to his role in President Trump's efforts to reduce the size of the federal government. However, his approach has been met with criticism from both sides of the political spectrum. Some argue that his private sector success does not translate to effective government management.  Susan Wolf, a 75-year-old retiree from Pennsylvania, is one of those critics. She believes that Musk's methods have been disastrous.  She also thinks that Musk's approach to government is flawed.  She argues that running a government is not the same as running a business.  She believes that a government should serve the people, while a business serves its shareholders.

Musk's political views have also shifted in recent years. He has moved away from his previous support for Democratic candidates and the fight against climate change. He now criticizes "the woke mind virus" and warns of the collapse of Western civilization due to illegal migration and excess government spending.  This shift in politics is reflected in the polling data.  Only about 2 in 10 independents and 1 in 10 Democrats view Musk favorably, compared to about 7 in 10 Republicans.  This divide is also seen in concerns about the impact of recent cuts to federal government agencies.  Only 11% of Republicans are extremely or very concerned about these cuts, compared to about two-thirds of Democrats and 44% of independents.

Musk's influence in Washington may be coming to an end. He is expected to leave his administration job in the coming weeks and dedicate more time to Tesla, his electric automaker.  Despite his setbacks, Musk has succeeded in shaking up the federal government.  He created the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which has fired thousands of federal employees, canceled contracts, and brought entire agencies to a standstill.  However, he has fallen short of his goal to cut spending by $1 trillion, setting a much lower target of $150 billion.  Even reaching that amount could prove challenging.

The survey was conducted from April 17-21, with a sample of 1, 260 adults.  The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3. 9 percentage points.

The Rise and Fall of a Tech Billionaire's Political Clout

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