HARD NUMBERS: Anti-Musk petition grows, Measles on the move, Trump hawks gold cards, Polls gauge president’s approval

February 27, 2025

Elon Musk speaks during the first Cabinet meeting hosted by President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 26, 2025.

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

320,000: More than 320,000 people have so far signed an online petition demanding that DOGE czar Elon Musk be stripped of his Canadian citizenship on the grounds that he is “part of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty.” Musk’s boss, Donald Trump, has repeatedly threatened to make Canada “the 51st state.” Unfortunately for the petitioners, Musk has Canadian citizenship legally – through his mother, who was born in Saskatchewan – meaning it’s virtually impossible to revoke it.

95 and 124: Measles is on the move in Canada and the US. So far this year in Canada, there have been 97 cases of the disease, which is particularly dangerous to young children, compared to 147 cases all of last year. The latest outbreak has been traced to cases in New Brunswick last fall. Meanwhile, in West Texas, a measles outbreak has sickened at least 124 people and killed a child. California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York City, Rhode Island, and New Mexico have also seen measles cases in recent weeks. Experts say that slower uptake of measles vaccines may be contributing to the outbreaks.

5 million: Want to be a US citizen? Well, if you’ve got $5 million burning a hole in your pocket, you’re in luck! Donald Trump is now planning to sell “gold cards” for that amount, which grant foreigners the right to live and work in the US and provide them with a swift path to citizenship.

44: After about a month in office, Donald Trump’s approval rating is 44%, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. His disapproval rating is at 50%. For comparison, Trump’s approval rating is about the same as it was at this point in Trump’s first term, but about 10 points lower than the analogous rating for Joe Biden.

Viewpoint: How strong is Trump’s support 100 days in?

US President Donald Trump returns to the White House from his New Jersey golf club to Washington, DC, on April 27, 2024.

Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

With a cohesive team in the White House, Republican control of Congress, and a disoriented Democratic opposition, Donald Trump has pushed ahead rapidly on many fronts since inauguration. But opinion polls in recent weeks have shown a sharp decline in public support for the president, and the courts, financial markets, and other institutions have started curbing his actions. We asked Eurasia Group experts Clayton Allen and Noah Daponte-Smith where things are likely to go from here.

A “critical” week for Ukraine

Rescuers search for a 17-year-old and his parents near an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, on April 24, 2025.

REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that this week is “very critical” for Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine. Russia’s Vladimir Putin made news on Monday by offering a three-day ceasefire beginning on May 8, a move perhaps motivated by skeptical recent comments from Trump on Russia’s willingness to bargain in good faith.

HARD NUMBERS: Anti-Musk petition grows, Measles on the move, Trump hawks gold cards, Polls gauge president’s approval

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HARD NUMBERS: Anti-Musk petition grows, Measles on the move, Trump hawks gold cards, Polls gauge president’s approval

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More from GZERO Media

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen shares what it was like growing up as a Vietnamese refugee in the US—and how the Americans around him often misunderstood the emotional toll of displacement.

The Liberals have won the battle to lead Canada, securing 168 of 343 parliamentary seats.

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43: According to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Friday, 43% of Americans have a favorable view of Trump — down from 48% before the election.

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

The most revolutionary thing about Trump 2.0? More dysfunction, fewer results. Ian Bremmer⁩ examines President Trump’s first hundred days back in office, why America’s problems are getting bigger, and what comes next.

On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, Mai Elliott recalls how witnessing the human toll of the Vietnam War firsthand changed her views—and forced her to keep a life-altering secret from her own family.