CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten on Thursday expressed surprise at a poll that indicates the majority of Americans actually appear to be OK with the sledgehammer that billionaire Elon Musk and his unofficial Department of Government Efficiency is taking to federal spending and jobs.

A CBS/YouGov poll showing that 54% think the Donald Trump-enabled Musk and DOGE should influence government spending and operations was “one of the more shocking figures that I saw,” Enten said on “News Central.”

“Made me go, ‘Wait a minute. Hold on one second. Whoa,’” he admitted.

Coupled with the 51% approval of Trump’s bid to cut government staff, Enten acknowledged that Musk “might not be that popular” but the cuts and the idea of them “actually has majority support.”

“I was truly surprised by this, Kate, but the numbers are the numbers,” Enten told anchor Kate Bolduan.

But what people think is being cut varies, he later noted.

Some 36% of registered voters agree with the Democrats’ claim that the ax is being wielded on necessary programs, while 42% think it’s “wasteful” spending that is being curbed, he said, citing other polling.

Watch the full analysis here: