What do Americans think about the protests in Los Angeles and President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and Marines there?
The Washington Post and George Mason University’s Schar School
texted more than 1,000 people Tuesday — including more than 200 California residents — to ask.
The survey finds Americans are divided in their views toward L.A. protesters and Trump’s decision to send the National Guard and Marines to the city. California residents are more critical of Trump’s actions, as are Democrats and political independents. Americans are also mostly negative on Trump’s handling of immigration, an issue that was a strength for him early in his presidency.
Participants’ answers have been lightly edited for clarity and style.
Do you support or oppose Trump sending the National Guard and Marines to respond to the L.A. protests?
“Deploying the military to crush political protest is classic authoritarian fascism, and must be opposed.”
California man, 38, independent
“Quell the uprising before it gets out of control.”
California man, 63, Republican
“It doesn’t seem like the city or state asked for or wanted that support and seems to be escalating an already tenuous and difficult situation.”
Maryland woman, 37, Democrat
Americans are roughly split on Trump sending the National Guard and Marines to respond to the protests in L.A., while a majority of Californians oppose Trump deploying the military.
Most Democrats oppose Trump sending the National Guard and Marines to L.A., while almost 9 in 10 Republicans support it. Independents lean against Trump’s action by a 15-percentage-point margin, 48 percent to 33 percent.
The more people are paying attention to the protests in L.A., the more likely they are to oppose Trump sending in the National Guard and Marines to respond to the protests. This is partly due to Democrats following the protests more closely, although independents who are paying more attention are also more critical of Trump’s decision.
Do you support or oppose the protests in Los Angeles against the federal government’s immigration enforcement?
Americans are almost evenly split over the protests against the federal government’s immigration enforcement efforts, with about 4 in 10 in support and opposition, and the remainder unsure.
“Riots are not peaceful protests. Damaging property and injuring people is not included in the right to assemble/protest.”
California woman, 56, independent
“Los Angeles is a county of immigrants who do a lot for our community & they are our friends. Most of them are hard working, great people.”
California woman, 72, Democrat
“I believe everyone has a right to disagree and protest ICE, however arson and violence is not acceptable.”
Florida man, 57, independent
Californians are more likely to support the protests, along with 7 in 10 Democrats. Independents are slightly more likely to support the protests than to oppose them, while about 8 in 10 Republicans are opposed.
Do you think the L.A. protesters have been mostly peaceful or mostly violent?
Americans are also split over whether the protests in L.A. are mostly peaceful or mostly violent, with over one-quarter saying they are unsure.
The
protests in L.A. since Friday have been largely confined
to a few city blocks. There have been sporadic, violent clashes involving a few protesters that prompted the mayor to impose a curfew.
Six in 10 Democrats say the protesters have been mostly peaceful while two-thirds of Republicans say they have been mostly violent and independents are split.
Are police using too much force dealing with L.A. protesters, not using enough force or handling it about right?
About 3 in 10 Americans say police are using too much force dealing with L.A. protesters, about a quarter say they are not using enough force and over 4 in 10 say they are handling it “about right.”
Most Democrats say police are using too much force, while half of Republicans say they are not using enough force.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Trump is handling immigration enforcement, including deportations?
The poll finds the public rating Trump’s immigration policy — including deportations — negatively by a 15 percentage-point margin, 52 percent to 37 percent, an issue that was a strong point for him
a few months ago
.
Three-quarters of Americans who voted for Trump approve of the president’s immigration policy, while 9 in 10 of those who voted for Kamala Harris disapprove.
About this story
This
Washington Post-Schar School poll
was conducted by text message on June 10, 2025, among a random sample of 1,015 U.S. adults, including 217 California residents, drawn from the SSRS Opinion Panel, an ongoing survey panel recruited through random sampling of U.S. households. The sample was weighted to match U.S. population demographics, partisanship and 2024 vote choice. Overall results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. Error margins are larger among subsamples, including 7.3 points among California residents.
Analysis by Scott Clement and Emily Guskin. Development by Irfan Uraizee and Eric Lau. Design by Shikha Subramaniam. Editing by Dan Eggen, Kevin Uhrmacher, Betty Chavarria, Junne Joaquin Alcantara and Courtney Kan.
