Is Elon the Political Punching Bag Democrats Think He Is?

Even moderates are zeroing in on Trump's right-hand man.

Three months after the election, Democrats have yet to dial in a messaging strategy for Trump’s second term. So far the approach has been rather scattershot: Some are focusing on China and Russia, others on tariffs or Gaza or Greenland. Though a unifying attack line has yet to emerge, two topics have bubbled to the surface in recent days: DEI and Elon Musk. Love it or hate it, the former is not a winner—but the latter might be.

Last week, pundits and journalists roundly (and rightly) lambasted Democrats over a DNC chair election that was chock-full of odd identity politics. The criticism has thus far gone unacknowledged by party officials. Just three days later, the Democratic rapid response team tweeted a video defending DEI initiatives featuring Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas: “If you are competent, you are not concerned. The only people crying are mediocre white boys,” she declared. Oof.

Believe it or not, Democrats actually need white men—even so-called “mediocre white boys”—to win elections. White men were 34 percent of the 2024 electorate, more than the number of black, Latino, and Asian voters combined. Particularly after an election in which Democrats cratered with young men, demonizing and insulting men (of any race) is not the path back to a majority coalition.

Perhaps more worrying, however, is that the clip did not go viral organically. Nor did right-wing trolls dredge it up. An official account of the Democratic Party just…sent it out. If this is how party operatives decide to hit Trump, we’re in for a long four years.

Other Democrats are pursuing what appears—at least initially—to be a much more effective attack line: Elon Musk. Jared Golden, a Blue Dog who won a Trump +9 district, is generally a safe bet for messaging. If he’s pushing a strategy, it probably means it’ll play well with the moderate and independent voters Democrats need to win. And here’s Golden last week:

“I’ve been getting a lot of calls over the past few days, and the interesting thing is none of them are about Donald Trump. They’re all about Elon Musk. My constituents, and a majority of this country, put Trump in the White House, not this unelected, weirdo billionaire. Musk is stepping on the president’s toes—making decisions without his approval, pursuing his own agenda. If I had an employee that sidelined me the way Musk is sidelining Trump, I don’t think I’d just sit back and take it.”

It’s a simple, but savvy message: Elon is running wild with the executive power that voters handed to Trump. It also ribs Trump, who obviously thinks highly of his own business acumen, for letting an employee outshine him. The data backs up Golden’s move.

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In just the few months since the election, Musk’s favorability ratings have tanked. In late November, 50 percent of adults had a favorable opinion of the tech billionaire and 41 percent an unfavorable opinion. By early February, Musk was six points underwater. Among key voter groups, the numbers are even worse: minus 17 net favorability with independents (34 percent favorable and 51 percent unfavorable) and minus 21 with moderates (36 percent favorable and 57 percent unfavorable). In November, he was just about even with both groups.

The disapproval extends to his official position too: Quinnipiac’s recent poll found that just 39 percent of registered voters want Musk to play a prominent role in the Trump administration. A quarter billion in campaign donations and a deluge of tweets later, Musk has cemented himself as a decidedly unpopular political figure. The available data suggests the more voters see of Musk, the less they like him.

This puts Trump in a tough spot. While there is a certain type of overly online bro who voted for Trump because of his promise to empower Musk, that’s really not what won him the election. Inflation, immigration, and immense dissatisfaction with the Biden administration powered the victory—not DOGE. As Musk’s antics continue to earn front-page headlines, Trump risks going down with the ship. There are down-ballot benefits for Democrats, too. As vulnerable GOP Senators and House members race to defend Musk, Democrats can expand beyond the usual “Trump bad” playbook.

Of course, the strategy also carries considerable risk. If Musk continues trending in the wrong direction, it’s easy to imagine Trump throwing him under the bus. Musk gets canned—perhaps there’s even a public falling out—and Trump pins his administration's most unpopular actions on the ex-DOGE czar. Democrats, suddenly, are left grasping at straws after the breakup. Democrats also need to ensure their attacks focus on cuts to popular domestic programs—a wholehearted defense of the “status-quo bureaucracy” would be a losing message.

Regardless of Democratic strategy, the laws of political gravity point to Trump growing more unpopular. His net approval rating has already shrunk from +8.2 to +4.7. But Democrats certainly have the power to expedite or slow the fall. Early returns suggest doubling down on identity will backfire, but hitting Musk and Co. might do the trick.