WASHINGTON 鈥 Tech billionaire Elon Musk has lost some of his luster with Republicans since his messy public falling-out with President Donald Trump last week, a new survey finds.

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House, May 30, in Washington.
Fewer Republicans view聽Trump's onetime government efficiency bulldog "very favorably" compared with April, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Though most Republicans continue to hold a positive view of Musk, their diminished fervor suggests his vocal opposition to Trump's signature spending and tax cut legislation 鈥 and Musk's subsequent online political and personal taunts 鈥 may have cost him some enthusiasm within the party.
"Some things have happened lately that have changed how I feel about him a little," said Alabama Republican Katye Long, whose feelings for Musk have cooled to "somewhat favorable."
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"I liked what he was doing when he was helping. But now I feel like he's kind of hurting," said the 34-year-old automotive component factory employee and mother of three from Woodstock, Alabama. "I also don't feel like he matters that much. He's not actually part of the government. He's just a rich guy who pushes his opinions."
Musk's overall popularity hasn't shifted, the poll found, and most of the shift among Democrats and Republicans was between "very" and "somewhat" strong opinions. Americans are less likely to view him favorably than his electric vehicle company, Tesla. That said, about half of Americans have a negative opinion of Tesla, highlighting another challenge for Musk when the company has dropped in value and been the target of protests in the U.S. and Europe. About one-third have a favorable view of Tesla, while about 2 in 10 don't know enough to say.
Republicans' enthusiasm waned, but so did Democrats' antipathy
After decrying the GOP's massive tax and budget policy bill as "a disgusting abomination," Musk wrote on X, his social media platform, "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people."
The poll suggests the messy feud with Trump may have rubbed some Republicans the wrong way, as the share of Republicans viewing Musk as "very favorable" has dropped from 38% in April to 26% now. At the same time, antipathy toward Musk among Democrats has waned a little. About two-thirds, 65%, of Democrats have a very negative view of Musk, down slightly from about three-quarters, 74%, in April.
Musk's bitter back-and-forth with Trump has business implications, too. Tesla was already struggling with a backlash against Musk's association with Trump. Sales across Europe plunged by half in May, even as growth in the electric car market accelerated. Then the company's shares plunged in value when Musk began sparring publicly with the president.
Victoria Brown, of Kansas City, Kansas, rated Tesla "somewhat unfavorable" because she objects to how Trump is conducting his administration and links the company's owner with the president's agenda.
"I don't favor Trump. So, pretty much the fact that they have been working together means I don't care too much for Tesla," said Brown, 63, a political independent and an insurance agent.

President Donald Trump, right, speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, May 30, in Washington.
Musk's overall approval remains unchanged
While the intensity of people's feelings about Musk may have changed, their overall opinions have not. About one-third of U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Musk, compared with about 6 in 10 who hold an unfavorable view, while about 1 in 10 don't know enough to say. That's unchanged from the April poll.
The new poll was conducted June 5-9, after Musk left his government role and began attacking Trump's marquee legislative priority.
Musk's public clash with Trump began four days after Trump honored Musk effusively during an Oval Office event discharging him from duties as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
After first tearing down the budget bill, Musk two days later complained he had never seen the language, and he aimed his fire at Trump, suggesting the president didn't sufficiently appreciate the role Musk assumed as the chief benefactor to Trump's reelection effort.
"Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk wrote. "Such ingratitude."
Musk went on to claim without evidence that the federal government was concealing information about Trump's association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk deleted the post, and early Wednesday he stepped back from his attacks on Trump, writing on X that he regretted some of his posts and they "went too far."
Views of Tesla are far more negative than other car companies
Tesla endured a difficult first quarter in 2025, with its sales falling while the world's leading electric car manufacturer faced protests in showrooms. The new poll also shows that Tesla is viewed far more negatively than some of its peers 鈥 notably, Ford, Toyota and General Motors.
Only about one-third of U.S. adults have a "very" or "somewhat" favorable view of Tesla. About half of U.S. adults have an unfavorable opinion of Tesla, including 30% of Republicans. Democrats, at 66%, are more than twice as likely as Republicans to have a negative view of Tesla. But even among Republicans, Tesla is viewed less favorably than the other brands.
Marisa Mills is no Musk fan. The 41-year-old teacher from Oakland, California, objects to his association with Trump and what the Democrat sees as their misguided notion that government is always well served by operating like a business.
And yet she was once proud to have Tesla building cars in her own county. She soured on the company in 2020, when Musk sued Alameda County over its workplace restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, before he moved the company to Texas in 2021.
"My government is supposed to serve the people, not his company. We were all glad to see him go," Mills said. "I do regret that we now have feelings of regret for the Tesla car product. We were once so proud."
Photos: Elon Musk saw turbulent time in US politics

FILE - Elon Musk reacts as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk gestures as President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, center, listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks with Elon Musk as his son X 脝 A-Xii looks on as they arrive on Marine One at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, April 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump, left, and Elon Musk depart the White House to board Marine One en route to New Jersey, March 21, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

FILE - In this picture taken through a window, President-elect Donald Trump, from left, Trump's pick for the planned Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk and Vice President-elect JD Vance attend the NCAA college football game between Army and Navy at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., Dec. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough, File)

FILE - Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw he received from Argentina's President Javier Milei, right, as they arrive to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Feb. 20, 2025, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Elon Musk carries his son X 脝 A-Xii as they arrives on Air Force One with President Donald Trump, not pictured, at Miami International Airport, April 12, 2025, in Miami, Fla. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Elon Musk speaks at a town hall, March 30, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, left, shakes hands with President Donald Trump at the finals for the NCAA wrestling championship, March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE - Elon Musk flashes his t-shirt that reads "DOGE" to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White House, in Washington, March 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

FILE - Elon Musk, departs a lunch between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speak to reporters as they sit in a red Model S Tesla vehicle on the South Lawn of the White House, March 11, 2025, in Washington. (Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Elon Musk watch during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, Pool, File)

Elon Musk attends news conference with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of Elon Musk during a news conference in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Elon Musk in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

FILE - Former first lady Melania Trump greets Elon Musk before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, claps as Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk prepares to depart after speaking at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, on Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - Elon Musk jumps on the stage as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - President-elect Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk explains the operations ahead of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, Nov. 19, 2024, in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File)

FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, left, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump attend a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
The AP-NORC poll of 1,158 adults was conducted June 5-9, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Beaumont reported from Des Moines, Iowa.