Do Americans approve of Trump sending National Guard to LA? What polls say

Public opinion is divided over President Donald Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to California, following the outbreak of protests in the state, according to recent polling.

On June 7, Trump authorized the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to anti-deportation protests that erupted in the city the previous day. While largely peaceful, the demonstrations — triggered by a spree of Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the area — have resulted in some violence and extensive vandalism.

A few days later, Trump sent in 2,000 more National Guard troops and 700 Marines, ramping up the military presence in the country’s second largest city.

“If I didn’t ‘SEND IN THE TROOPS’ to Los Angeles the last three nights, that once beautiful and great City would be burning to the ground right now,” the president wrote on Truth Social on June 10.

Trump also referred to protesters as “insurrectionists.”

City officials have pushed back against the president’s characterizations, saying the protests are limited in size, and accusing Trump of intentionally sowing chaos.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom also sued the federal government, making the case that Trump has illegally federalized the California National Guard.

“Like many states, California is no stranger to this sort of unrest,” Newsom said in a June 10 address. “We manage it regularly and with our own law enforcement. ... This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers and even our National Guard at risk.”

What polls show

Two recent polls reveal Americans are split when it comes to the president’s response to the protests.

In an InsiderAdvantage survey — conducted with 1,000 likely voters June 9-10 — a majority of respondents, 59%, said they approve of Trump’s decision “to deploy National Guard and federal military in downtown Los Angeles.”

Meanwhile, 39% said they disapprove, and 2% said they were undecided.

The poll — which has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points — found the question resulted in a massive partisan divide.

Most Republicans and independents — 89% and 56%, respectively — said they were on board with Trump’s decision. Just 37% of Democrats said the same.

Meanwhile, a recent YouGov survey found opposition to Trump’s decision was more widespread.

In the poll — conducted with 4,309 U.S. adults June 10 — a plurality of respondents, 45%, said they disapprove of Trump deploying the National Guard to California.

A slightly smaller share, 38%, said they approve of the president’s decision, and 17% said they weren’t sure.

The vast majority of Democrats, 74%, were opposed, while 75% of Republicans were in favor. Independents were more split, with 47% opposed and 30% in favor.

When it came to deploying Marines to L.A., opposition was slightly stronger.

A plurality, 47%, said they disagreed with the president sending Marines to the city, while 34% said they agreed and 19% said they were unsure.

Here, again, most Democrats, 75%, were opposed, while most Republicans, 68%, were in favor. Additionally, 50% of independents were opposed, while 27% were in favor.

The poll has a margin of error of 1.8 percentage points.

This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 9:02 AM with the headline "Do Americans approve of Trump sending National Guard to LA? What polls say."