Democrats and the media have spent the past few weeks pushing a narrative that tech billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency's efforts to root out and cut examples of waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending are wildly unpopular with the American people.

That narrative was just proven to be false by a new poll that showed that roughly 83% of the American people think the federal government needs to cut spending instead of raising taxes, according to Just the News.

The poll also revealed that while opinions on Musk himself are evenly split, DOGE and its various efforts to make the federal government more cost-efficient are hugely popular with substantial majorities of American voters.

Broad public support for DOGE cutting wasteful federal spending

Between Feb. 19-20, the pollsters at Harvard CAPS/Harris surveyed 2,443 registered voters across the country and, with a margin of error of 2 points, made a number of rather surprising and narrative-busting findings about President Donald Trump and his policy agenda, specifically including Musk and his DOGE team.

As noted, Musk's favorable/unfavorable rating was tied at 44%, but the efforts of DOGE enjoyed significant support, including 76% who support a "full-scale" review of federal spending and the elimination of fraud and waste, 63% who support "freezing and re-evaluating" all foreign aid and the USAID agency, and even 59% who support cutting congressionally authorized expenditures.

The pollsters also found that 70% of voters believe that federal spending is full of waste, fraud, and inefficiency while 69% back a goal of cutting at least $1 trillion in spending from the annual federal budget. It was further discovered that 72% favor the creation of an agency like DOGE focused on improving government efficiency, and 60% believe that DOGE has already helped to make major cuts in federal spending.

Interestingly enough, 52% believe that DOGE should have complete access to all relevant information about government expenditures, but 58% think that DOGE employees should be barred from seeing any sensitive or personally identifying information about U.S. citizens who receive benefits from federal programs.

Poll reveals other positive news for Trump and his agenda

In other news, the new Harvard CAPS/Harris poll found that President Trump's job approval rating stands at 52%, which is just a few points higher than the RealClearPolling average of national polls that pegs his approval rating at 49.4%, which is down just slightly from the 51.5% average approval he enjoyed right after he took office.

The pollsters also discovered that, with only a few minor exceptions, nearly all of Trump's policies and Cabinet picks were viewed favorably by the majority of the American people, while at the same time, public approval of the highly oppositional Democratic Party and prominent Democratic officials -- including the former president, vice president, and members of Congress -- have seen their public approval drop dramatically.

"People are taking a generally positive wait-and-see attitude for Trump but have really reassessed their attitudes toward Biden, Harris, and the Democrats, taking a much harsher, more negative attitude," head pollster Mark Penn said in a statement. "Trump has a real opportunity here -- we’re seeing a healthy, trudging approval edging toward real approval based on how the next couple of months turn out."

Trump, White House herald public support for Musk and DOGE

Unsurprisingly, President Trump's White House was quick to highlight the positive news from the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll that revealed "massive support" for the president and how a majority of Americans back "his actions to bring much-needed reforms that are making America great again."

That included the roughly two-thirds to three-fourths of Americans who support DOGE and its efforts to significantly reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency.

Those findings, as well as a recent Truth Social post from Trump, suggest that Musk and DOGE will continue to enjoy the president's support and may even be tasked with ramping up their efforts going forward.

"Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive," Trump wrote in an all-caps post on Saturday. "Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!"