Poll shows that voters like the idea of DOGE, but don’t approve of Elon and Trump’s ways

Americans are split on DOGE, but they are clear about one thing—Elon Musk and Donald Trump are not handling it the way they want.

A national NBC News poll released on Sunday shows that 46% of voters think DOGE is a good idea, while 40% disagree, and 13% have no opinion. But when asked how they feel about its execution, 41% have positive views, while 47% disapprove.

Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is unpopular. Fifty-one percent of voters view him negatively, while only 39% support him. The controversy around DOGE has exploded as the Trump administration aggressively cuts government spending, eliminates jobs, and cancels contracts. Lawsuits are already piling up.

DOGE’s impact fuels backlash as Trump steps in

Trump has tried to take control of the DOGE backlash. He recently posted online that agency heads will be in charge of their own layoffs, saying they should use a “scalpel” instead of a “hatchet” to make cuts. His message came after a tense Cabinet meeting where Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, and Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, criticized Musk’s approach to downsizing their departments.

The push to shrink the federal government has been fast and messy. DOGE has attempted to access sensitive information, slash jobs, and cancel federal contracts, sparking outrage. The poll shows that 33% of voters think these efforts are reckless and should stop immediately, while 28% believe they should slow down to measure the damage. Another one-third of voters think the work should continue because “more needs to be done.”

Americans still expect the government to do its job. The poll found that 56% of voters think the government should be solving problems and helping citizens, while 42% believe it should step back and let businesses take the lead.

DOGE cuts are hitting Americans directly

Voters are feeling the consequences of DOGE’s budget cuts. Twenty-seven percent of respondents—or someone they know—have been personally affected by reductions in federal benefits, lost funding, or job cuts. The effects are widespread across the country, with self-identified Democrats making up the biggest group impacted.

Some of the losses are immediate. A woman in New Jersey, who works in local government and isn’t affiliated with any political party, said she knows federal workers who lost jobs after years of working on public service projects. A respondent in another state said their niece’s nonprofit lost its grant funding, and others reported that family members in government jobs had been laid off.

The layoffs are hitting federal employees hard. Fourteen percent of voters say they—or someone they know—have lost their jobs due to DOGE’s policies. Others fear what’s next. Some voters worry that cuts will extend beyond inefficiencies and lead to reductions in Medicaid and other federal programs.

Public opinion on federal employees has also changed. In 2019, 63% of Americans had a positive view of federal workers. That number has dropped to 49%, though it’s still higher than the 42% approval recorded in 2011. As layoffs continue, public perception of government jobs is shifting again.

Trump’s approval takes a hit as economic concerns rise

Trump’s approval rating isn’t improving. Fifty-one percent of voters disapprove of his job performance, while 47% approve—his best rating since his first term, but still negative overall. Republicans remain united behind him, but the broader electorate is divided.

The economy is another problem. Only 18% of voters think the economy is in “excellent” or “good” condition, the lowest rating since 2014. Fifty-four percent of voters disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy, and 55% disapprove of his response to inflation and the cost of living.

Trump’s early moves in his second term aren’t helping. His administration has imposed tariffs on neighboring countries and allies, adding to economic uncertainty. Voters are questioning whether he is focusing on their financial concerns or prioritizing projects like reshaping the federal bureaucracy through DOGE.

“While this survey shows a mixed result for Donald Trump, Democrats are the ones in the wilderness right now,” said Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates, who conducted the poll with Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies. Horwitt called Trump’s upside-down numbers among independents “a flashing red light across the survey.”

Trump’s job approval rating (47%) and personal favorable rating (46%), along with the 44% who believe the country is on the right track, are at all-time highs in NBC News polling during his political career.

But they are also far below where previous presidents stood during the “honeymoon period” of new administrations, marking the polarization that has defined the Trump years. Slightly more disapprove of Trump’s job performance (51%) and view him personally negatively (49%), and 54% see the country as on the wrong track.

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