A recent survey indicates that nearly 60% of Americans believe the military should only be deployed in response to external threats.
According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday, 58% of those surveyed share the view that military action should be limited to external threats. Conversely, 25% think it can be used for other purposes, and 18% are uncertain.
This poll coincides with President Trump’s indications that he plans to deploy National Guard troops to various cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago. He has stated that this action is necessary to tackle crime amid legal challenges he faces.
Among the respondents, a significant 72% of Democrats agreed that military deployments should be limited to external threats. Interestingly, 51% of Republicans and 53% of independents concurred with this stance.
When it comes to the president’s authority to send troops into a state without the governor’s consent, only 37% supported this idea. Meanwhile, 48% opposed it, and 15% felt confident about the president’s authority in such cases.
Support for this authority primarily came from 70% of Republicans, 13% of Democrats, and 28% of independents.
The deployment of security forces by the Trump administration in states like California and Oregon has faced criticism from Democratic governors, including Gavin Newsom and JB Pritzker.
A notable 83% of participants believe that the military should remain politically neutral. This principle was endorsed by around 93% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans, and 80% of independents.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll collected responses from 1,154 US adults online between October 3 and 7, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
