Most Americans back White House protests
Poll finds opposition to use of force at DC park
The police crackdown to clear protesters from Lafayette Park last week looms as a defining moment in the national debate over race and law enforcement that has been sparked by the death of George Floyd.
An exclusive USA TODAY/IPSOS Poll finds Americans overwhelmingly endorse the right of peaceful protest outside the White House – a view held by nearly 9 of 10 people across racial and partisan lines. Nearly 9 of 10 had heard about the clashes that cleared demonstrators before President Donald Trump walked across the square to stand in front of historic St. John’s Church, holding aloft a Bible.
By 83%-17%, those familiar with the event say they believe law enforcement fired rubber bullets and used tear gas on the protesters then, a point of contention. About two-thirds of all Americans, 63%, oppose that show of force.
“That was a bad call,” said Aaron Jones, 40, a Republican from Katy, Texas. Charles Ritt, 56, a Democrat from Roseville, Minnesota, who watched the scene unfold on TV, called it “disgusting and ridiculous.”
Some of those surveyed sided with law enforcement, however. Thirty percent of those surveyed, including 50% of Republicans, supported the use of rubber bullets and tear gas in the park.
The online poll of 1,113 adults, taken Monday and Tuesday, has a credibility interval, akin to a margin of error, of 3.3 percentage points.
Divisions along racial and especially partisan lines remain, including when it comes to finding the right balance between protecting peaceful protests and ensuring law and order. On that, Americans are split: 45% say law and order should be the priority, 44% say the right to protest should be the priority.
But the poll also underscores the degree to which the president’s provocative comments about racial justice seem out of step with the mood of the country. The poll was being conducted when Trump posted a controversial tweet Tuesday that made unsubstantiated accusations against a 75-year-old protester who was pushed to the ground and injured by police in Buffalo, New York.
Just 38% of Americans say they trust
Trump to promote justice and equal treatment for people of all races – much lower than the Black Lives Matter movement, trusted by 60%, or than the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, trusted by 51%.
Indeed, the poll found a yearning for former President Barack Obama. Forty-five percent identify him as the president or former president, among those now living, who would best handle today’s civil unrest. Trump was chosen by 20%.
Among Democrats, 75% chose Obama. Among Republicans, 43% chose Trump, lower than the support he and his actions generally command within the GOP, while 18% of Republicans chose former President George W. Bush and 15% chose Obama.