Support for President Donald Trump is surging amid the ongoing unrest in Los Angeles, with many voters commending his crisis management during the riots.
According to Morning Consult, Trump’s approval rating has climbed to its highest point in several months. This upward trend signals confidence among the president and his team, as they navigate the fallout from the riots—now in their sixth consecutive day. The violence erupted after a federal operation targeting undocumented immigrants, a policy area where Trump consistently performs well in the polls.
Fifty percent of voters expressed approval of Trump’s performance, while 44% voiced disapproval—marking a four-point swing in both directions since May’s survey.
This represents Trump’s best performance in national polling since January, a period that saw a surge in support for his administration’s second-term agenda.
In comparison to other global leaders, Trump holds a favorable position in Morning Consult’s international rankings. He ranks as the seventh most popular leader among democratic nations surveyed, positioned below India’s Narendra Modi and Argentina’s Javier Milei, but ahead of the U.K.’s Keir Starmer.
Additional polling from CNN and CBS News indicates that most Americans back Trump’s deportation efforts, particularly his focus on removing individuals with criminal records. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed supported his immigration stance, while 46% opposed it.
The unrest in Los Angeles was sparked by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Home Depot in the area. The operation triggered widespread chaos across the city. In response, Trump deployed 4,000 California National Guard troops to restore order.
By the following Monday, he had authorized an additional 700 Marines for deployment in L.A. On Tuesday, Mayor Karen Bass imposed a nighttime curfew in an attempt to stem the violence, as fires raged through neighborhoods and businesses.
The scenes emerging from Los Angeles align closely with Trump’s narrative as a defender of law and order, especially in Democrat-led cities struggling with governance.
Others with firsthand experience of past L.A. riots believe Trump is taking the right steps.
Moses Castillo, a former LAPD detective, criticized both Bass and Governor Newsom for their delayed response in an interview with Fox News.
“She’s now trying to play catch up,” Castillo said. “I think if she would have been very more forceful in the beginning that we’re not gonna tolerate these crimes and allow police officers to do their job and arrest people on site, I’d think it would have be different. Instead, she’s now saying it now that these crimes would not be tolerated, looting would not tolerated. But it’s a little bit too late.”
