Americans’ Love-Hate Relationship With Elon Musk, Tesla, DOGE: I&I/TIPP Poll

For some, it’s hard to imagine an unpaid civil servant doing an important job for the government could be treated worse than Elon Musk. The government cost-cutting head of DOGE has been rewarded for his service by a boycott of Tesla and its stock, by death threats, insults, and violent attacks on Tesla dealers and owners. And now, according to the latest I&I/TIPP Poll, a surprisingly large share of the population backs this behavior.

The national online I&I/TIPP poll was taken by 1,452 adults from March 26 to March 28. It has a margin of error of +/-2.6 percentage points. The poll was intended to look at the anti-Musk phenomenon, and how average people view anti-Musk protesters.

Respondents were asked three questions, the first being: “Do you support or oppose the Tesla Takedown movement’s call to protest Elon Musk by selling Tesla vehicles and stock?”

A clear plurality of 43% say they either support it “strongly” (27%) or “somewhat” (16%), while a smaller 32% oppose it either “strongly” (23%) or “somewhat” (9%). Another 14% said they were “not familiar with the movement,” while 11% described themselves as “not sure.”

Not surprisingly, Democrats back the selling of Tesla vehicles and stock by 53% “support” to 26% “oppose,” while independents give the boycott 40% support to 29% opposition.

But perhaps most surprising are Republicans, who support the call to protest Musk by 40% but oppose it by an equal 40%.

Indeed, in none of the 36 demographic groups that are followed each month by the I&I/TIPP Poll is there a plurality or majority that opposes the Musk-Tesla boycott and stock sales.

The second question asked was a bit more pointed: “Do you believe acts of vandalism against Tesla properties should be prosecuted as domestic terrorism?”

This time, a plurality of 46% answered yes, while a slightly lesser 39% said no. Of the remainder, 15% said “not sure.”

On this question, political affiliation had a much bigger impact on how participants responded.

Among Democrats, for instance, just 32% said the attacks should be prosecuted as domestic terrorism, compared to 54% who said no. And independents were only slightly different, with 36% saying “yes,” but 48% saying “no.”

Republicans? They supported prosecuting the attacks as domestic terror by 68% yes, 19% no.

The “domestic terrorism” question also shows intriguing splits among other demographic groups: Males (53% yes, 37% no) and females (39% yes, 42% no); whites (50% yes, 36% no) and minorities and blacks/Hispanics (38% yes, 46% no); and investors (61% yes, 33% no) vs. non-investors (40% yes, 43% no).

The final question posed was: “Should individuals who vandalize Tesla properties during protests be held financially responsible for the damages they cause?”

This was the biggest winner by far, with overall 71% answering yes, 16% answering no, and 12% not sure. No demographic responded with less than 56% “yes,” and none was more than 31% “no.”

But there were still differences to be seen. Democrats (64% yes, 23% no) and independents (69% yes, 17% no) were a good deal less likely than Republicans (83% yes, 10% no) to support making protesters financially responsible for their damages.

So nearly one in four Democrats and one in six independents believe protestors shouldn’t be held responsible for their damage. So do one in 10 Republicans.

It’s safe to say that there is overwhelming support for financial restitution for those whose Teslas or other property are damaged due to protests.

But there’s still a surprising number of people who believe that intentionally destroying someone else’s property during a “protest” should require no financial responsibility by those who commit the crimes.

It’s especially strange also to know that resentment of Elon Musk is so great among certain groups, particularly given that in a recent I&I/TIPP Poll 52% of respondents felt that 25% or more of all federal spending was wasted.

These data point to how politically divided the U.S. is, especially when it comes to violent political behavior. Put simply, Democrats and independents are far more tolerant and even supportive of attacks on Musk and his various highly successful companies, even to the point of backing violent political protests.

Given the raw political opprobrium directed at Musk, it’s no great shock that he has announced plans to step away from his day-to-day management of DOGE to return to the companies he created, including electric-car maker Tesla and space-launch giant, SpaceX.

It’s interesting to note that Musk signed up originally for a 130-day commitment to head DOGE, roughly half a year. So it should be no surprise he’s now announcing he’ll do just that.

But what’s surprising is the amount of anger and even rage Musk has inspired as he’s sought to shut down dysfunctional programs and slash hundreds of billions of dollars in waste.

By its own estimates, DOGE (from its full name, the Department Of Government Efficiency) has cut $160 billion in waste, or roughly $993.79 per taxpayer. That’s nothing to sneeze at.

Moreover, the long-term effects of such cuts will be enormous: Musk estimates that DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts will have slashed $1 trillion from the U.S. deficit, a massive amount of waste.

“This is a revolution,” the 53-year-old billionaire said. “And I think it might be the biggest revolution in government since the original revolution. At the end of the day, America’s going to be in much better shape. It’s going to be a fantastic future.”

He has removed hundreds of thousands of credit cards from government use, found hundreds of millions of dollars in unemployment and Social Security fraud, and uncovered what might be the biggest fraud of all: Hundreds of billions of tax dollars spent on politically oriented “non-governmental organizations,” or NGOs, many if not most left-leaning.

Yet, despite all this “smashing success,” as libertarian leaning Reason magazine put it, Musk’s stock with the public at large seems to have declined.

As a recent AP/NORC Poll found, “Just 33% of U.S. adults have a favorable view of Musk, the chain-saw-wielding, late-night-posting, campaign-hat-wearing public face of President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize and overhaul the federal government. That share is down from 41% in December.”

It may be that the pain or surprise of government cutbacks is greatest when they’re first made, and only appreciated later when both spending and deficits (2024 federal red ink: $1.8 trillion) begin to shrink. If so, Musk may have to wait a few years before the job he did is fully appreciated.

I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past six presidential elections.

Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.

1. Here’s What Trump Has Done During His First 100 Days In Office—Victor Davis Hanson, The Daily Signal

2. Can Trump Kill This $2.2 Trillion Regulatory Beast?—Editorial Board, Issues & Insights

3. Zelensky’s Realpolitik Blind Spot On Security Demands—Editorial Board, TIPP Insights

4. Fact-Checking The Left’s 3 Claims Denouncing The Trump DOJ’s Arrest Of Judges—Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal

5. Liberals Loathe Arrival Of ‘MAGA Media’ Inside The White House—Tim Graham, The Daily Signal

6. ‘BRIDGE TOO FAR’: Colorado House Minority Leader Warns Transgender Custody Bill Is ‘Huge Violation Of Parental Rights’—Tyler O'Neil, The Daily Signal

7. Why DC Remains One Of The Nation’s Most Dangerous Cities—Cully Stimson, The Daily Signal

8. Key Hollywood Players Quietly Turning Away From Wokeism—Suzanne Bowdey, The Daily Signal

9. Should Parents Discard Embryos At High Risk For Becoming Fat?—Katrina Trinko, The Daily Signal 

10. In First 100 Days, NASA Moves Toward Trump’s Goal Of US Flag On Mars—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal

11. Global Tensions Lead To Steep Rise In Military Spending—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

12. Bessent Warns: China Could Lose 10 Million Jobs From Tariffs—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

13. America’s Founding Documents Are Selling Like Gangbusters—Joshua Arnold, The Daily Signal

14. Trump’s Migrant Hunt Digs Into The IRS And Social Security—Ben Weingarten, The Daily Signal 

15. White House Directly Involved In House Republicans’ $69B Border Security Funding Plan—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal

16. Thune Faces Tough Call On Overturning Electric Vehicle Mandate—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal

17. Saudi Arabia, Qatar Bail Out War-Ravaged Syria—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal

18. Who Will Rule Gaza After The War? Ex-IDF Spokesman Sees Just One Option—Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal

19. News Envoy To Israel Huckabee Says Deal Can Be Reached If Iran Gives Up Ambitions Of ‘Nuclear Weaponry’—Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal

20. Trump Rejects Obama-Era Race-Based School Discipline Policies—Jonathan Butcher, The Daily Signal

21. House OKs Anti-‘Revenge Porn’ Bill Backed By Melania Trump—George Caldwell, The Daily Signal

22. Hill GOP Budget Leaders In ‘Lockstep,’ Treasury Chief Bessent Says—Jacob Adams, The Daily Signal

23. 2 Bills Cutting Red Tape For Employee Benefits Advance In House—Rachel Greszler, The Daily Signal

24. Newsom Touts Calif. As World’s 4th-Largest Economy On Paper As Real Jobs Fall—Kenneth Schrupp, The Daily Signal

25. Tuna Fishers, Lobstermen Praise Reopening Of Waters—Duggan Flanakin, CFACT

26. CFACT urges Bank Of America To Stop promoting “Climate Activism” At Shareholder Meeting—Nate Myers, CFACT

27. Amazon Clarifies: No Plans To Show Tariff Costs On Site—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

28. Canada Rejects ‘51st State’ Proposal As Carney Rises To Power—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

29. When Will Markets Find Stability? Bessent Has Answers—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

30. Mark Carney’s Liberals Win Canada Election—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

31. White House Slams Amazon For 'Hostile' Tariff Pricing, Chinese Ties—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

32. Bessent: Ignore The Surveys, Watch The Data—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights

📊 Market Snapshot

• S&P 500: 5,560.83 – ▲ 0.58%
• 10-Year Yield: 4.17% – ▼ 4 basis points
• Crude Oil (WTI): $60.14 – ▼ 3.08%
• Bitcoin (BTC): $93947.73 ▼
• US Dollar Index (USD): 99.17 – ▼ 0.02%
• Gold: $3,316.81 – ▼ 0.62%

Tickers: $SPX | $TNX | $WTIC | $BTCUSD | $USD | $GOLD

📈 Featured Stock

Our pick for today’s featured stock

📰 News & Headlines

Is Palantir Technologies the Ultimate Stock to Avoid Tariff Fears?—Keithen Drury, The Motley Fool

Investment Bank Believes That Palantir (PLTR) Stock Is "Likely" to Retest Highs—Larry Ramer, Insider Monkey

⭐Recent Featured Stocks

Guardant Health (4/29)
Verisign, Inc. (4/28)
Marex Group PLC (4/25)
Sportradar Group, AG (4/24)
Sprouts Farmers Market (4/23)
Kroger Company (4/22)

🧠 Macro Insight

Markets held steady Wednesday morning as investors braced for a wave of economic data to close a volatile April. The S&P 500 is coming off its longest winning streak since November, boosted by optimism over Trump's softer tone on tariffs and a potential trade deal with India. Despite an early-month scare that briefly pushed the index into bear territory, equities have staged a sharp rebound.

Today’s spotlight includes GDP and PCE inflation data, alongside earnings from Meta and Microsoft—critical signals that could shape the market’s next move.

📅 Key Events Today

• 08:15 AM ET – ADP Nonfarm Employment Change (April)
  ADP’s report measures private-sector employment growth and is a key early read on the labor market.
• 08:30 AM ET – GDP (QoQ) (Q1)
  Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reflects the total economic output and is a critical gauge of overall economic health.
• 09:45 AM ET – Chicago PMI (April)
  The Chicago Purchasing Managers’ Index measures business conditions in the Chicago region and signals manufacturing strength.
• 10:00 AM ET – Core PCE Price Index (YoY) (March)
  The Fed’s preferred inflation metric is the year-over-year Core PCE, excluding food and energy.
• 10:00 AM ET – Core PCE Price Index (MoM) (March)
  The month-over-month reading gives a more immediate view of inflation trends.
• 10:30 AM ET – Crude Oil Inventories
  This report shows weekly changes in U.S. crude stockpiles, impacting energy prices and inflation expectations.