He doesn’t wear sequins, his fans don’t have a cute nickname, and the drama around his life doesn’t fill the broadcasts of TMZ and Entertainment Tonight.
But even without an army, such as the “Swifties” who flock to Taylor Swift, Elon Musk emerged as the 2024 presidential election’s top surrogate by over 2-to-1.
When Swift endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10 after her only debate with President-elect Donald Trump, many pundits suggested the election was over and that the “Swifties” would overwhelm the polls.
However, Musk, who endorsed Trump on July 13, carried more weight and influence, according to a new survey shared with Secrets from Cygnal.
“By a more than 2:1 margin, voters believe Elon Musk (47%) was the most effective surrogate for Trump, followed by Joe Rogan and RFK Jr. tied at 22%. Harris’s surrogates were substantially less effective, with only Taylor Swift breaking 20% followed by Oprah at 16%,” the pollster said.
Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris. She signs her post:
With love and hope,
Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady pic.twitter.com/gdd0UGYkR4— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) September 11, 2024
Unlike with the celebrities behind Harris, Trump didn’t pay his famous backers, and many joined Musk in repeatedly accompanying the former and future president to campaign events, often speaking for him.
Musk has been rewarded with a key post in the new Trump administration as co-chairman of the Department of Government Efficiency, the incoming president’s creation to cut waste and excessive spending.
I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery pic.twitter.com/ZdxkF63EqF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 13, 2024
And maybe because Musk will help lead it, Cygnal also found widespread support for DOGE and Trump’s idea.
According to the poll analysis, “60% of voters support the newly established Department of Government Efficiency and its goal of cutting $2 trillion in federal government waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Men of all stripes over index in support for DOGE and women overall are more nuanced but mostly supportive.”
SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS
The poll was good news for Trump, showing support for his second presidency and confidence in his agenda.
“President-elect Trump is riding new all-time highs as he charges forward on an aggressive transition and agenda,” pollster and Cygnal President Brent Buchanan said. “Not only are voters optimistic about his second term, but they also remain supportive of mass deportations to fix America’s illegal immigration crisis and overwhelmingly support Trump’s DOGE initiative led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Republican optimism and enthusiasm are soaring while Democrats and Kamala Harris continue to see declines in their images among the American people, further proving Trump’s mandate to lead is firmly cemented in the electorate ahead of the holidays and Inauguration Day.”
