Elon Musk, who steers President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, which is cutting government fraud and slashing the federal workforce, wields a chainsaw during an appearance at CPAC on Feb. 20, 2025 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Jose Luis Magana)
American voters, by a 46%-40% margin in an NBC News poll conducted March 7-11 and released on Sunday, said creating DOGE was a good idea rather than a bad idea.
However, when asked about their feelings towards DOGE, 47% of respondents held negative views, with 41% saying they saw DOGE in a positive light.
It is a similar story in a Reuters/IPSOS survey conducted March 11-12.
By a 59%-39% margin, Americans questioned in the poll said they supported downsizing the federal government.
NEW POLLS SPELL TROUBLE FOR THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
However, 59% opposed the firing of tens of thousands of federal workers, with 38% supporting the moves by the Trump administration, and by a 50%-38% margin, they said Trump and Musk had gone too far in cutting federal spending.
Trump has repeatedly praised Musk for his efforts with DOGE, including during a primetime address earlier this month to a joint-session of Congress.
During an interview a week ago on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Trump called Musk a "real patriot" whose efforts have "opened a lot of eyes."
President Donald Trump, right, is joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his son, X Musk, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office at the White House on Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
A CNN poll conducted March 6-9 indicated that more than six in 10 thought the cuts by DOGE would go too far and that important federal programs would be shut down, with 37% saying the cuts wouldn't go far enough in eliminating fraud and waste in the government.
It appears Trump is well aware of the negative reviews for Musk and DOGE.
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Two weeks ago, Trump told the Cabinet secretaries that they, rather than Musk, would be in charge of department downsizing at their agencies.
In a social media post, Trump said they would use a "scalpel" rather than a "hatchet" in making government staffing cuts.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/americans-want-smaller-government-polls-shows-whether-they-like-how-musk-going-about-it