A new poll has found Elon Musk to be the most-hated public figure among a list of prominent American and global personalities.
In July, Gallup surveyed Americans on their views of 14 powerful public figures, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., JD Vance, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Benjamin Netanyahu, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the country’s own Commander-In-Chief, President Donald Trump.
But it was Trump’s former ‘first buddy’ who topped the list as the most disliked, the results revealed.
A staggering 61 percent of Americans reported an unfavorable view of Musk, while just 33 percent saw him in a positive light. Six percent had no opinion at all.
His popularity dipped even lower than that of the Israeli Prime Minister, who faced a 52 percent unfavorable rating and a net score of -23.
The billionaire became a familiar figure in Trump’s inner circle, spending nearly $300 million to support his campaign last year and maintaining a distinguished role once Trump returned to the White House for a second term.
Musk was then appointed to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with downsizing the federal workforce and cutting government spending.
However, their once-cozy relationship quickly unraveled, with Musk officially falling out of favor at the White House earlier this summer and becoming embroiled in a very public, online fallout with the president.
Following his fall from grace, the Tesla CEO reportedly lost over $34 billion of his personal net worth – all while his reputation took an even steeper dive.
His rapid descent was clear in Gallup’s recent poll, which showed Musk’s favorability rating plunging from -4 in January to -28 now – a decline even steeper than Tesla’s sales drop.
But his public image began to suffer once he joined the Trump administration, dove into controversial MAGA politics and alienated Democrats – resulting in an extremely low net favorability rating of -86.
Musk later alienated many of Trump’s supporters by openly criticizing the former president, sparking outrage within Trump’s base.
The conflict spiraled into a chaotic fallout, climaxing with Musk’s startling claim that Trump’s name appears in the Epstein files – dealing a severe blow to his relationships and reputation while also fueling American’s distrust in the administration.
July’s damning poll revealed the lingering skepticism toward the current administration, as multiple figures in Trump’s circle also posted negative net favorability ratings.
Vice President JD Vance saw his unfavorable rating rise from 40 percent in January to 49 percent, resulting in a drop to a -11 net favorability rating.
Former President Joe Biden received a -11 favorability rating, with 54 percent of respondents expressing dissatisfaction. However, his favorability has improved slightly to 43 percent, up from 39 percent in January.
A total of 38 percent of Americans viewed US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth with disapproval, while 26 percent had a favorable opinion and 37 percent expressed no opinion – leading to a -12 net favorability rating.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had the best score within Trump’s circle, posting a -5 rating that put him slightly ahead of Biden and Vance.
Apart from Musk – who overwhelmingly had the worst ranking – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suffered the second largest drop in favorability.
Once widely favored, Rubio now faces increasing criticism as he heads the State Department and National Security Council, while playing a central role in dismantling the USAID program.
Rubio’s rating plummeted from a positive 8 in January to a negative 16 in July -perfectly matching Trump – with 47 percent of respondents viewing him unfavorably.
All figures within Trump’s inner circle had lower favorability ratings than Democratic politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who held a -4 rating, and Bernie Sanders, who scored an 11.
But even AOC and Sanders, who are relatively popular, were outperformed in favorability by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Despite Trump labeling him a ‘dictator,’ Zelenskyy earned a favorability rating of 18, with 52 percent of respondents viewing him positively and only 34 percent expressing a negative opinion.
The highest favorability rating went to Pope Leo XIV, who earned a strong score of 46 – and made history as the first American pope.
His numbers closely mirrored the warm reception Pope Francis received when he took the papacy in 2013, earning a 58 percent favorability rating and just 10 percent unfavorable.
Nevertheless, Musk’s companies – much like his public image – have also taken a hit, with Tesla reporting a 16 percent drop in net income and a 12 percent decline in revenue in the second quarter of 2025.
A study by Williams College found that Musk’s polarizing persona has soured some Americans on electric vehicles altogether – not just Teslas – suggesting his unfavorable influence may be hurting the entire EV industry.
