The Silver Bulletin reveals that 53.5% of Americans view Musk unfavorably, whereas 39.6% hold a favorable opinion. His unpopularity has risen significantly since early 2024, when only 38% had a negative opinion of him, according to their tracking system. Silver notes that his approach to tracking Musk’s public perception mirrors that of President Trump’s, though “with slightly more conservative settings since Musk is polled less frequently than Trump.”

As reported by Silver Bulletin, negative perceptions of the billionaire have notably increased following his strong support—partly through financial incentives for voters—for Trump’s second presidential bid. This was closely followed by his involvement with DOGE, which has led to numerous federal agency layoffs. The organization’s agents have been attempting to access or have accessed sensitive government sectors, such as IRS records, the US Treasury’s payment systems, and the US Social Security Administration.

However accurate Silver Bulletin’s average is, the site is not alone in noting Musk’s unpopularity. Outlets like Fox News, Politico, and Axios have all recently pointed to polls showing a growing distaste for the billionaire.

That may have already had electoral consequences for Republicans in Wisconsin, where Musk’s attempt to bolster a conservative Supreme Court candidate this month — using the same voter-paying tactics he used during Trump’s campaign — appear to have backfired. More than half of voters in the state disapproved of his involvement, and about a third said it made them less likely to vote for the conservative justice, according to pollster information published by The Washington Post. In the end, Democrat-backed candidate Susan Crawford won by 10 points, preserving Wisconsin’s highest court’s 4-3 liberal majority.