A Reuters/Ipsos poll has sparked growing alarm among Americans over Elon Musk’s recent appointment to lead federal cost-cutting. The survey indicates widespread concern that his sweeping plan may disrupt vital services, including Social Security and student aid, prompting fears of long-term political and economic fallout, experts warn of disaster.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos survey indicated that most Americans are concerned that billionaires have too much power in President Trump’s administration and that Elon Musk’s efforts to reduce the federal government could impact services that are important to their communities.
After six days of surveying, 58% of people were worried that Musk’s campaign could delay federal services, including Social Security retirement payments and student aid, compared to 29% who were not worried. The survey ended on Tuesday.
Many Americans, even Trump’s most ardent fans, are concerned about the influence of the affluent in the White House due to Trump’s appointment of billionaires and business leaders to his cabinet and inner circle of advisors.
The majority of respondents (71%) believe that the affluent have an excessive amount of power in the White House, and a sizable minority (69%) believe that the wealthy are profiting from their ties in the administration.
Some 44% of Americans believed that the wealthiest Americans were benefiting from their relationships with the White House, and this was true even among those who professed a strong identification with the MAGA movement—the most avid followers of the president, who constitute approximately a third of his party.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has been appointed by President Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative aimed at slashing costs. In the last two weeks, the department has fired nearly 10,000 government employees in a method that opponents and Democrats have criticized as chaotic.
So far, Republicans have been very supportive of Musk’s DOGE effort, but the general public is not very enthusiastic.
In a Reuters/Ipsos survey, 42% of people are in favor of Musk’s spending reduction committee, while 53% are against it. The political lines were neatly broken by the division.
Among those who took the survey, 62% were opposed to the idea that the president can terminate any federal employee who voices their disagreement, while 23% were in agreement.
Political backlash could ensue, according to experts, if Trump and Musk are seen as overreaching. Despite the fact that the United States Constitution forbids Trump from serving a third term, the Republican-controlled Congress will still have to face the people in 2020.
According to Vanderbilt University public opinion researcher John Geer, Trump is misunderstanding the election, as politicians often do. There is conflicting evidence to back this up.
Despite claims by the White House that the cost-cutting initiative has the backing of most Americans, there are indications that people are showing a more moderate attitude on DOGE and Musk’s plan to reduce the federal employment.
The bulk of Americans favor Musk’s approach and DOGE, according to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s February 6 Fox News interview, which portrayed them as a reasonable remedy to a long-standing issue of overburdened bureaucracy, waste, fraud, and abuse.
No widespread interruption of services or endangerment of benefits is in the cards, according to public statements made by the White House and Musk.
Indeed, Trump’s cost-cutting plan as a whole has some support, and the president’s approval rating is relatively stable.
Among the 59% who supported the aim of reducing the size of the federal government were nearly all Republicans, the vast majority of independents, and around one-third of self-identified Democrats. Fewer than 20% of Democrats and over 100% of Republicans support reducing U.S. aid to other nations.
“If DOGE successfully saves taxpayers money without significantly cutting things they care about, this will be a political winner for the Republicans,” said Anthony Fowler, a professor of public policy at the University of Chicago. “Of course, government employees who lose their jobs will be upset, but the median voter would like to see the government downsized, so if DOGE does its job well, it will be popular.”
Outside of his core political supporters, few appear to be in favor of some of Trump’s more extreme budget cuts. According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll, the majority of respondents (65%) were against closing the Department of Education, while a minority of 30% were in favor.
On February 13, Trump referred to the Department of Education as a “con job” and expressed his desire to have it closed “immediately.”
Last week, as thousands of government employees were laid off, Geer brought up the image of Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, holding court with Trump in the Oval Office.
“It’s terrible optics,” he explained.
Trump and his supporters may face a greater threat in the future, according to Geer.
What happens if a calamity strikes and [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] is unable to cope? Geer went on to say that they hadn’t noticed any signs of harm yet. When people’s Social Security payments are cut off, what happens next? I would add that the government conducts a great deal of work that isn’t ideological.
Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, and Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education, are among the billionaires Trump has appointed to his cabinet.
Several members of the country’s corporate elite, including Musk (SpaceX and Tesla CEO), Mark Zuckerberg (Meta Platforms), Tim Cook (Apple CEO), and Sundar Pichai (Alphabet CEO), were present for his inauguration, in addition to Musk.
Several other of the country’s wealthiest individuals were unknown to the respondents of the Reuters/Ipsos survey, who had mainly negative opinions of Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg.
According to David Pepper, a former leader of the Ohio Democratic Party, Trump—a rich ex-real estate developer—has made a mistake by abandoning the populist, anti-corporate image he displayed during his first term.
According to Pepper, one of Trump’s greatest strengths was his ability to keep his status as a billionaire under wraps.
It is evident that Trump is surrounding himself with corporate titans like Musk, so that has changed in this administration, he remarked.
“Donald Trump said the little guy was being screwed by the big players,” he explained. “Well, now the big players are firing the little guy.”
The results of the online, nationwide Reuters/Ipsos poll, which questioned 4,145 adults in the US, were within a margin of error of approximately 2%.
Luis Gochoco is a seasoned managing editor and writer with over a decade of experience covering politics, technology, gaming, and entertainment news. With a keen eye for breaking stories and in-depth analysis, he has established himself as a trusted voice in digital journalism. Luis is one of the key forces behind the success of GameNGuide, contributing to 12 million views through engaging and high-traffic content. He also played a pivotal role in generating 8 million views on International Business Times, shaping the platform’s technology and gaming coverage.
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