Elon Musk at a Trump administration cabinet meeting on April 10. Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The American public is souring on Elon Musk, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Why it matters: The world's richest person has become a powerful political player, having made himself a close ally of President Trump and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency.
His political actions have done damage to the Tesla brand, driving sales of the publicly traded company lower and prompting Musk to say last week that he will take a step back from DOGE leadership.
Threat level: 33% of U.S. adults had a "very or somewhat favorable" opinion about Musk in the April survey, compared with 41% in December.
65% said he has too much influence on the federal government.
The bottom line: Musk has dug himself — and his business interests — into a hole.
