Americans Want Smaller Government, But Musk and DOGE's Methods Spark Debate

Americans seem to love the idea of a leaner federal government, but they aren’t exactly sending Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) a bouquet for how they’re going about it. According to a slew of new polls, it’s a mixed bag of opinions on the downsizing effort led by the billionaire entrepreneur and the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump established DOGE shortly after reclaiming the White House last November, tasking it with reshaping and shrinking the federal government. With Musk at the helm, the world’s richest man turned CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has been slashing through bureaucracy at lightning speed—think chainsaw, not scalpel. The result? Billions in alleged wasteful spending eliminated and a workforce reduction that has left many Americans with whiplash.

National polling paints a complicated picture. A recent NBC News poll conducted March 7-11 found that voters were slightly in favor of creating DOGE, with a 46%-40% split. However, when it came to their sentiment towards DOGE itself, 47% had negative views, while just 41% were positive. Another Reuters/Ipsos survey echoed these findings, with 59% of Americans supporting the general idea of downsizing the federal government but strongly opposing the mass layoffs of federal workers (59% against, 38% in favor).

Trump has not been shy about his admiration for Musk’s efforts. During a primetime address to Congress earlier this month, he praised Musk as a "real patriot" who had "opened a lot of eyes." But Musk’s public approval ratings tell a different story. In the NBC poll, only 39% of respondents had a favorable view of him, while 51% leaned negative. The Reuters/Ipsos survey was even less kind, with Musk underwater at 38% favorable and 59% unfavorable.

Things get messier when you dive into specifics. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted March 6-10 revealed that 60% of Americans disapproved of how Musk and DOGE were handling federal employees, while just 36% were on board. A majority—54%—believe Musk and DOGE are hurting the country, compared to 40% who think they’re helping. And in a CNN poll conducted March 6-9, more than six in 10 respondents feared that DOGE’s cuts would go too far, jeopardizing essential federal programs.

It seems even Trump is picking up on the backlash. Two weeks ago, he told his Cabinet secretaries to take charge of department downsizing themselves, signaling a shift towards a more precise approach. In a social media post, he promised that future cuts would be made with a "scalpel" rather than a "hatchet." Whether that will calm the storm of criticism remains to be seen.

For now, it’s clear that while the vision of a smaller government has its fans, the execution—complete with Musk’s bravado—might be losing the plot for many Americans.