 "50% Republicans, 70% Democrats want Trump to use military only against external threat: Poll")
A growing majority of Americans say the president should only deploy armed troops in response to external threats, reflecting unease over President Donald Trump’s increasing use of the military to police US cities, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The survey, conducted from Friday to Tuesday, found that 58% of Americans — including 70% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans — believe troops should not be used domestically except in response to foreign threats.
The findings come as Trump expands the deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities such as Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, escalating political tensions and prompting legal challenges from local and state officials.
The moves follow a speech in which the president warned of an “enemy within” and told a rare gathering of top US military officers that the country was facing internal threats.
Democratic leaders have called the troop deployments politically motivated, accusing the president of using the military to intimidate opponents and boost his standing ahead of the election.
Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, a centuries-old law that could allow him to bypass state objections and send troops into cities over governors’ resistance.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe poll also showed that just 37% of respondents believe any US president — regardless of party — should have the authority to deploy troops without a governor’s consent. Nearly half (48%) disagreed with giving presidents that power.
Trump’s approval rating has dipped slightly to 40%, down one percentage point from a similar poll in late September. His approval has particularly slipped on key domestic issues such as crime and the cost of living.
In recent months, Trump has also ordered military action abroad, including sending troops to patrol waters off Venezuela and stationing forces along the US-Mexico border, claiming an invasion by “criminal immigrants.”
He has authorised troops to use lethal force against suspected drug traffickers on international waters without due process — a move critics say undermines legal norms.
Last week, in his address to military leaders, Trump reportedly warned he would fire any generals he didn’t like — remarks Democrats say were aimed at pressuring the military to align with him politically.
Americans prefer political neutrality for military
The US military has traditionally stayed out of political affairs, and a new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests most Americans want it to remain that way.
According to the poll, 83% of respondents said the military should “remain politically neutral and not take a side in domestic policy debates,” while 10% believed it should support the president’s domestic agenda. Around one in five Republicans said the military should align with the president in political matters.
Trump’s approval rating on crime dropped to 41% in the latest survey, down from 43% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from September 5–9.
His overall approval rating has declined by 7 percentage points since a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken just after his January 20 inauguration, when it stood at 47%.
The online poll surveyed 1,154 U.S. adults nationwide and has a margin of error of three percentage points.
With inputs from agencies
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