CNN’s senior data reporter Harry Enten on Wednesday spotted how a “clear majority” of Americans are opposed to Elon Musk’s “key role” in President Donald Trump’s administration as the billionaire wreaks havoc on federal government agencies.
“I think simply put the American people did not sign up for this,” said Enten of Musk, whose cost-cutting crusade with the non-official Department of Government Efficiency has made him a “special government employee” in the eyes of the Trump White House.
Enten pointed to a recent Quinnipiac University poll that found 53% of registered voters opposing Musk’s “key role” in the Trump administration.
Just 39% of respondents supported the billionaire’s DOGE gig, per the poll.
“They don’t want this, the American people don’t want this. No, no, no,” said Enten, who noted that the poll found 36% of independents backing Musk’s role.
CNN’s Sara Sidner, in response to Enten’s analysis, asked how Musk’s “popularity” has been impacted by the role and argued that a look at the billionaire’s X platform gives the impression that he’s the “king of kings.”
“He may be the king of X or Twitter but he ain’t the king of the United States of America and if he were the king, he’d be a very unpopular king,” Enten said.
The reporter then turned to figures showing Musk’s net favorability rating sitting at +29 percentage points back in 2016 and, prior to fall 2024, the billionaire dropped to -3 percentage points as he started to dabble with politics.
This year, Musk’s net favorability rating has fallen to -11 percentage points, according to Enten’s data.
Trump, by comparison, is at the “apex” of his popularity with a net favorability rating closer to “net zero” while Musk is at the “trough,” Enten noted.
Check out more of Enten’s analysis in the clip below.