CNN’s Enten: Elon Musk Has Gone From Most Popular Figure In 2016, To Least Popular In New Poll
CNN’s Harry Enten suggests Elon Musk’s “America Party” is essentially “dead on arrival” when it comes to opinion polling:
HARRY ENTEN, CNN: We’ve rarely seen someone who entered the political scene and it has been so unkind to them. All I can say is, jeez Louise. You know, the first time we ever saw Elon Musk ever polled was all the way back in June of 2016. He was the most popular person polled by Bloomberg back in June of 2016 with a plush 29-point net favorable rating. Down we go as we go to this side of the screen-July of 2025-minus 37 points on the net favorable scale according to our latest CNN poll. Get this: that is a 66-point drop. He is now the least popular person that we polled. So the bottom line is, as I said at the top, jeez Louise. You rarely see 66-point drops, but the political scene has been quite unkind-to the rocket man. SARA SIDNER: Well, Republicans were cheering him on at first. What are you seeing though now? How has that shifted and changed? HARRY ENTEN: You know, I think the last time we spoke about this, we spoke about the fact that when you mess with Donald Trump, you go in the grinder-to quote the great movie Good Burger. And Elon Musk’s net favorable rating with the GOP in March of 2025-look at that-plus 61 points. Two thumbs up. We come to this-July of 2025, after announcing that he is going to try and form a third party-two thumbs down. Oh my goodness, a drop of 55 points in the course of just 4 months. I mean, you don’t want to mess with Donald Trump. And then finally, Ms. Sidner, I will note, you know, there’s all this talk of Elon Musk and a third party. Look, he’s talking about it, he’s putting it out there. I-I dare say it’s close-pretty much close to dead on arrival. Look at this-favored third party started by Elon Musk. Look at this: just 25% favored, 74%-three quarters of Americans-opposed. And remember, Ross Perot started a third party back in the 1900s-in ’93-or was going to start one. 50% favored it-far more than Elon Musk. And of course, that third party? Not successful. This one, as I said, pretty much close to dead on arrival.
