Forget picking sides—Americans want out of the Trump-Musk drama altogether.
52 percent of Americans picked “neither” when asked who they would side with in the bitter feud between President Donald Trump and his ex-buddy Elon Musk, according to a new YouGov survey.
Trump drew more support overall, with 28 percent backing him compared to just 8 percent for Musk. Another 11 percent said they were “not sure.” The online poll was conducted with 3,812 U.S. adults Thursday, the same day the president and the world’s richest man went to war with each other.
YouGov
Across nearly all of YouGov’s demographics, most Americans distanced themselves from both men—with 51 to 53 percent choosing “neither” in every age group—except when the results were divided by political party.
Republicans backed the president by a wide margin—71 percent—while giving the Tesla CEO just 6 percent support. Twelve percent chose neither.
73 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents viewed Musk favorably in a poll conducted in Jan. and Feb. this year. / Tom Brenner/Getty Images
This indicates a dramatic shift in Musk’s standing among the right, sending a clear message that Republicans’ loyalties lie firmly with their MAGA leader, rather than the tech billionaire.
Just a few months ago, 73 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents viewed Musk favorably, according to a Pew Research poll. In the same survey, 85 percent of Democrats and Democratic leaners held an unfavorable view of Musk.
YouGov
Predictably, 80 percent of Democrats chose neither side in Thursday’s poll, although 11 percent sided with Musk compared to just 4 percent backing Trump—whom Musk claimed Thursday is “in the Epstein files.”
Women were more likely to reject either man at 57 percent, compared to 47 percent for men. Twenty-seven percent of women sided with Trump, versus 30 percent of men. Just 5 percent of women picked Musk, while 11 percent of men chose the billionaire’s side.
Musk wrote that it was “Time to drop the really big bomb” in an X post Thursday afternoon. He claimed Trump “is in the Epstein files” and “that is the real reason they have not been made public.” / Jim Watson/Getty Images
Support for either man was especially low among Black Americans, 68 percent of whom picked “neither”—a full 20 percent higher than white respondents.
During Thursday’s explosive spat, Trump threatened to end the subsidies and contracts held by Musk’s companies, like SpaceX. Musk promptly fired back on X, “Go ahead, make my day.”
YouGov’s poll found 41 percent of all respondents supported ending Musk’s subsidies and contracts, while 21 percent opposed the move and 38 percent weren’t sure.
YouGov
