Donald Trump’s approval rating has plummeted, with a majority of Americans opposing the deployment of the National Guard to US cities, according to a new poll.
Only 40 percent of people surveyed have a favorable view of the president, after he told a gathering of US military leaders that troops should be used to target an “enemy within” American society.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll also found that only 38 percent of those polled think the president should be able to deploy federal troops into states if governors disagree with their deployment.
Meanwhile, 48 percent thought the president should not be able to send troops into states without the state governor’s approval.
Trump has claimed that federal troops are needed to tackle rising crime in major cities located in Democratic states, including Portland, which he says is “war-ravaged”, and Chicago, which he described as a “hellhole.”
The president has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act after his attempts to deploy the National Guard in Illinois and Oregon were blocked in several different courts. He has claimed that the troops are needed to protect ICE agents as they carry out arrests.
Trump has already sent troops into Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, clashing with California Governor Gavin Newsom in the process. According to Newsom, the president’s deployment of the guard in Los Angeles had cost taxpayers $120 million.
“Donald Trump is using our service members as political props and as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize America’s cities,” Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said.
Pritzker went on to accuse Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, of trying to “consolidate Trump’s power.”
“That plan will only work if we let it,” he added. “The state of Illinois is going to use every lever at its disposal and get Noem’s thugs the hell out of Chicago.”
Although the Reuters poll found that the chaos surrounding the president’s attempts to deploy the National Guard has damaged his popularity, Trump has continued to promote a survey from Rasmussen, which claims that 57 percent of Americans approve of his administration.
However, recent Rasmussen polls found that only 47 percent of people approve of Trump’s presidency. Meanwhile, 51 percent disapprove, with 42 percent of those voters strongly disapproving of him.
Overall, Trump’s approval rating continues to languish at -10, according to Rasmussen.
The Independent has approached the White House for further comment.
