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The twelvemonth started beautiful good for Elon Musk. The statesmanlike campaigner he supported came into office, he led a caller semi-official squad to restructure and defund national agencies, and Tesla banal was riding precocious (to nan tune of a $1 trillion marketplace cap). He was connected apical of nan world! What could perchance spell wrong? Well, according to a caller Gallup poll, beautiful overmuch everything. Of each nan alleged "newsmakers" that nan pollster asked respondents about, Elon Musk came successful dormant past for favorability, astatine 28 points underwater.
For reference, nan adjacent 3 disconnected nan bottommost were Benjamin Netanyahu (-23%), Marco Rubio (-16%), and personification named Donald Trump (-16%), who I don't deliberation I've ever heard of. In January, Gallup had Musk astatine -4%, comparatively adjacent to evenly liked and disliked. So he's dropped a monolithic 24 points since his highest conscionable a fewer months ago, a feat only matched by Rubio.
Not amazingly fixed his (very vocal) politics, Musk is viewed dismally by Democrats, astatine a genuinely astonishing -86%, only beaten retired by that Trump astatine -91%. On nan flip side, Republicans o.k. of Musk by +38%, which mightiness look bully until you recognize that's their least-liked of immoderate right-leaning figure. Independents, being independents, are correct successful nan middle, -34%.
Can't anyone bring our state together? Turns out, location is 1 American who can, though he's besides Peruvian and Vatican: Pope Leo XIV, good supra h2o crossed nan ideological spectrum, netting retired to +46%. If only he would return our readers' proposal for his adjacent Popemobile, he could get a cleanable score.
The costs of losing a fame contest

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Musk's melodramatic autumn from fame is bad for him, obviously, but it's besides had ripple consequences connected nan Tesla marque and nan wider car industry. That trillion-dollar marketplace headdress is agelong gone, Teslas person radically declined successful resale value, and sales person taken a monolithic hit. Musk is promising that a pivot to robotaxis will prevention nan day, but shareholders look dubious connected its prospects, fixed that they're suing nan institution complete it.
Worse, and somewhat confoundingly, Musk's falling individual marque seems to person dragged down user liking successful each EVs, not conscionable Teslas. If thing else, Musk has a gift for attaching himself to full concepts; he doesn't conscionable tally a car company, he's a mascot for an full people of vehicle. But that aforesaid superpower seems to person backfired present (well, EVs can't backfire, but, you get it). He was nan look of nan DOGE effort to toggle shape nan national government, and much generally, of nan onliniest helping of nan American right. As those drew scrutiny, truthful did he.
So I'd opportunity Musk was having a bad week, isolated from that the committee of Tesla conscionable approved a $29 cardinal salary package for him, aliases complete $1 cardinal per constituent of nett unfavorability he has. Uh, being disliked is good, actually, and I dream you each opportunity mean things astir me. I'll hold for my check.