(NewsNation) — Bill O’Reilly believes that no matter what Elon Musk, Donald Trump or the Department of Government Efficiency do, a chunk of the population will never support their efforts.
“I want this; 80% of the American people are with me. The Trump haters don’t want it,” O’Reilly said on Monday’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert.”
When NewsNation’s Leland Vittert pushed for clearer proof of this “slash and burn route” working, O’Reilly argued it’ll likely take months to years to see changes in the government — time that Musk’s task force deserves to take.
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“It’s unrealistic to think that anybody is going to, excuse me, redeposit money that’s been foolishly spent or wasted,” O’Reilly said. “It’s going to take a year, but what can happen is a disciplined approach to DOGE.”
He also claimed that those against Trump, Musk and DOGE will “make up stuff to try and wreck it,” no matter what measures are taken.
What is public sentiment toward Musk?
Polls show Musk is highly unpopular with independent and moderate voters, who could be key to Republican senators winning reelection in battleground states.
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An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,595 adult citizens conducted Feb. 9-11 found that independents disapproved of Musk’s handling of the Department of Government Efficiency by 18 points, with 31 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.
The survey found that self-described moderates disapproved of Musk’s leadership of DOGE by 21 points, with 33 percent approving and 54 percent disapproving.
NewsNation partner The Hill’s Alexander Bolton contributed to this report.
