President Donald Trump’s newest authoritarian act of deploying the navy to police protesters in Los Angeles is deeply unpopular, in response to new polling, and this provides Democrats a brand new and potent line of assault in opposition to the dictator-wannabe-in-chief.
New knowledge from YouGov finds that pluralities of Individuals disapprove of Trump’s choice to each name within the Nationwide Guard (45% disapprove) and the Marines (47% disapprove) to quell what had been in any other case peaceable demonstrations in Los Angeles.
Trump first referred to as within the Nationwide Guard over the weekend and the Marines on Monday evening to police and arrest protesters demonstrating in opposition to the immigration raids Trump has ordered. Within the raids, Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers have stormed workplaces, colleges, and courthouses to attempt to meet Trump’s excessive deportation targets.
YouGov not solely finds that Trump’s dealing with of deportations is basically unpopular—50% disapprove and solely 39% approve—however the polling agency additionally finds that Individuals aren’t shopping for his justification for navy intervention. Whereas he has tried to paint the protests in opposition to his immigration agenda as violent, a plurality of Individuals (38%) suppose the protests are largely peaceable.
YouGov additionally launched a ballot on Tuesday that it carried out together with The Economist, which finds {that a} plurality of U.S. grownup residents (47%) suppose Trump’s immigration strategy is “too harsh.” A plurality (47%) additionally thinks ICE brokers shouldn’t be allowed to be masked when finishing up their raids.
What’s extra, the ballot finds that 61% suppose the Trump administration shouldn’t be deporting undocumented immigrants who’ve lived within the U.S. for a few years and haven’t dedicated crimes. Fifty-four p.c say undocumented immigrants who’ve U.S. citizen youngsters shouldn’t be deported. And 56% say Trump shouldn’t be allowed to deport folks to overseas prisons, like he’s been doing for months.
All of this knowledge offers Democrats a transparent line of assault in opposition to Trump within the 2026 midterm elections. Individuals largely suppose Trump goes past what voters tasked him with doing.
Democrats are already making that clear of their public statements, accusing Trump of illegally sending within the navy in opposition to residents with the intention to inflame tensions and create violence that may distract from his legislative agenda. In spite of everything, Trump’s tax invoice, which that lately handed the Home, would rip Medicaid and meals stamps away from poor Individuals, all to partially pay for tax cuts that will overwhelmingly profit the wealthy.
“Trump is deliberately causing chaos in LA to distract you from the fact that he’s trying to rip healthcare away from almost 14 million Americans,” Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote in a submit on X. “Same old playbook. Chaos as a cover for cruelty.”
“You don’t get ICE to follow the law by breaking it yourself. The violence needs to stop, but sending in Marines against civilians is reckless escalation,” Rep. Seth Moulton, Democrat of Massachusetts, wrote in a submit on X. “The last time Marines were deployed in an American city, 63 people had died, thousands were injured, and the streets were on fire—and the governor requested them. Trump has never respected what Marines do overseas, but always wanted to use them to enforce his political agenda here at home.”
