FF Poll: Hand To Hand

Q1. On Tuesday, a feud between the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, and President Trump started brewing on social media.

The first volley was posted by Musk on his platform X saying that Trump’s pending tax legislation was a “disgusting abomination” that would saddle Americans with “crushing debt,” and that Congress should vote against it.

Do you think Musk has the power to hurt the bill’s chance of passage, and will a bill similar to what the House sent to the Senate pass?

(Image: Happier times, Butler, PA, Oct 6, 2024. Getty // Doug Mills )

overall

custom

male

female

rep

ind

dem

18-29

30-44

45-64

65+

Musk can hurt, bill won't pass

21%

19%

23%

5%

22%

36%

24%

14%

21%

28%

21%

Musk can hurt, bill will pass

33%

42%

26%

41%

26%

28%

33%

44%

30%

27%

33%

Musk can't hurt, bill won't pass

9%

8%

4%

16%

11%

13%

7%

11%

9%

Musk can't hurt, bill will pass

26%

23%

27%

44%

13%

10%

8%

27%

30%

28%

26%

Don't know

8%

5%

11%

3%

21%

11%

14%

9%

8%

5%

8%

Don't care

3%

2%

4%

3%

2%

3%

8%

0%

4%

1%

3%

Q2. On Thursday, Trump replied to a question about Musk's criticism of the tax bill saying "Elon’s upset because we took the electric vehicle credit and mandates out of the bill. I’ve helped Elon a lot. I think he misses the White House. People leave my administration, and they love us then they miss it so badly, some embrace it some become hostile, Trump derangement syndrome they call it."

What do you think is the main reason Musk criticized the bill?

(Image: Trump promotes Tesla vehicles at White House, March 11, 2025. Image: Getty // Andrew Harnik )

overall

custom

male

female

rep

ind

dem

18-29

30-44

45-64

65+

Believes it will cause crushing debt

28%

42%

18%

44%

28%

14%

35%

21%

31%

28%

Hurts his businesses

46%

36%

54%

38%

48%

54%

56%

42%

49%

39%

46%

Misses the White House

0%

1%

0%

1%

0%

1%

0%

Mad at administration for other reasons

14%

13%

4%

13%

23%

9%

22%

9%

15%

14%

Other

4%

1%

6%

7%

2%

0%

3%

6%

5%

4%

Don't know

3%

2%

5%

4%

2%

3%

0%

3%

2%

8%

3%

Don't care

4%

3%

5%

2%

3%

0%

7%

4%

1%

4%

Q3. Musk replied on X that Trump would have lost the 2024 election without his (Musk’s) help, and that the President is in the Epstein files, presumably as a participant in Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.

Trump replied on his platform Truth Social that “The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts.”

Musk replied that he would “decommission” SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which takes astronauts to the space station, and endorsed a post calling for Trump’s impeachment. (He later backtracked on the Dragon decommissioning.)

Trump ally Stephen Bannon called for Musk to be deported (it has been reported that Musk illegally started working in the US on a student visa) and called for the government to seize SpaceX.

Putin ally Kirill Dmitriev posted on X “why can’t we all just get along,” and a Russian official said the country could offer Musk asylum.

Which is likely to happen? (check all that apply)

(Image: SpaceX Dragon. Getty )

overall

custom

male

female

rep

ind

dem

18-29

30-44

45-64

65+

US govt shrinks SpaceX contracts

36%

35%

38%

18%

38%

53%

70%

44%

25%

22%

36%

Musk companies withhold services to US govt

28%

23%

35%

14%

26%

44%

50%

36%

21%

17%

28%

Musk voluntarily moves companies out of US

15%

9%

21%

8%

15%

22%

7%

23%

13%

14%

15%

Musk is deported

5%

3%

6%

4%

6%

5%

2%

11%

3%

1%

5%

Musk regains favor with liberals

10%

13%

8%

13%

16%

6%

2%

18%

10%

7%

10%

Musk and Trump reconcile within a month

55%

62%

50%

67%

46%

65%

54%

51%

55%

None of these

11%

13%

9%

13%

8%

10%

5%

14%

13%

11%

Don't know

8%

6%

10%

7%

13%

8%

9%

4%

10%

8%

Don't care

8%

10%

6%

8%

9%

17%

7%

8%

5%

8%