"Had Bad Moments": Months After Fallout, Trump Says Musk A Good Person

Months after the relations between Donald Trump and his billionaire aide, Elon Musk, turned sour, the US President defended the Tesla CEO after a poll revealed he was the "most unpopular public figure in America." A survey by the global research firm Gallup found Musk's popularity dropped by 24 points since January, making him the most unfavoured famous person in the United States. 

"I don't know [if] that poll's accurate. I think he's a good person. I think he had a bad moment, a really bad moment. But he's a good person. I believe that," Trump told a reporter in response to a question about the survey.

Trump claims Musk 'really bad moment'

'Poll accurate that Elon is America's most unpopular figure?' pic.twitter.com/RnRhE6mxzr

— RT (@RT_com) August 7, 2025

In the survey conducted between July 7 and July 21, pollster Gallup asked 1,000 random Americans to rank 14 prominent figures--including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been accused of crimes against humanity for Israel's actions in Gaza-- based on their likability. The list also included Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden and Pope Leo XIV.

Musk's net favorability was at -4 in January and came down to -28 in July. The Tesla boss was rated dead last, with 61 per cent of respondents having an unfavourable opinion of him. However, despite the overwhelming majority of negative reactions, 33 per cent of respondents liked Musk, while six per cent said they had no opinion on him at all.

Trump Musk Relations

The world's richest man, who once enjoyed the status of "First Buddy" to President Trump, had a speedy fall from grace following his criticism of the Republican's signature tax and spending bill. The two had an explosive fallout in June, with the pair trading blows on social media.

While Musk alleged the Trump administration was not making the files related to disgraced financier and sex offender Jaffery Epstein public because Trump's name was on the files, the President suggested that the South African-born businessman "go back where he came from."