Support for Black Lives Matter protests has dropped significantly since they began in earnest after the murder of George Floyd but Americans still vastly disapprove of President Donald Trump’s response, according to a new Reuters/ipsos poll.
About 52% of Americans say they are “sympathetic” to protesters who are still marching over police racism nearly two months since the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis.
Though a majority of Americans still support the protests, the number is down about 12% from a similar poll in mid-June.
But while the poll showed support for the demonstrations sliding, it shows that Americans are deeply dissatisfied with Trump’s response, and his presidency in general.
Trump ratings underwater:
Trump has sought to condemn protesters as “anarchists and agitators” and has deployed federal forces into cities like Portland, Chicago, Kansas City, and Albuquerque.
The Reuters poll showed that 54% disapprove of Trump’s response to the demonstrations, though that number is slightly improved from the 58% disapproval he had in June.
While nearly 90% of Democrats disapprove, the president’s party seems cool with it.
Nearly 80% of Republicans said they approve of Trump’s response, up from 67% in June.
Voters worry over politicization:
The poll also found that 42% of Americans suspect that Trump’s federal deployment into Democratic-led cities was mostly “to further Trump’s political agenda” while 39% said the forces were “restoring law and order in major U.S. cities.”
The split was similar among suburban voters, who have been a prime Trump target. About 44% of suburban residents believe the deployment is political while 37% think it is to restore law and order.
The partisan split evident on this question too, with 73% of Democrats accusing Trump of playing politics while 76% of Republicans said they believe the deployment is well-intentioned.
