A survey of 683 Democratic voters found 59% would react positively to U.S. military leaders removing Donald Trump and taking control, when the hypothetical action was described as intended “to safeguard the Constitution.”
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US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York, Sept. 22, 2026 - AFP |
Washington DC, UNITED STATES:
A recent survey of Democratic voters in the United States found that 59% said they would react positively to a hypothetical scenario in which military leaders removed President Donald Trump from office and assumed control of the government.
The survey, conducted by the Center for Strategic Politics among 683 Democratic voters, presented respondents with several hypothetical headlines involving different ways Trump could leave office before the end of his term. The military scenario specifically described the takeover as an action intended “to safeguard the Constitution.”
The survey, conducted by the Center for Strategic Politics among 683 Democratic voters, presented respondents with several hypothetical headlines involving different ways Trump could leave office before the end of his term. The military scenario specifically described the takeover as an action intended “to safeguard the Constitution.”
Among those surveyed, 43% said they would feel “very positive” about the hypothetical military takeover, while another 16% said they would feel “somewhat positive.” Twenty-eight percent reported a negative reaction and 13% said they would feel neither positive nor negative.
Survey Measures Reaction to Hypothetical Scenario
The wording of the question is important when interpreting the results. Participants were asked how they would feel after seeing a hypothetical news headline, rather than whether they would personally organize, participate in or authorize a military coup.The scenario nevertheless explicitly involved military leaders removing a sitting president and taking control of the United States. The phrase concerning the protection of the Constitution was included in the hypothetical presented to respondents.
The survey therefore provides a measurement of how the participating Democratic voters said they would react emotionally to that particular scenario. It does not establish that 59% support military rule as a political system or would support an actual military takeover if one occurred.
Constitutional Removal Scenarios
The same survey also asked respondents about scenarios involving established constitutional mechanisms for removing a president.
According to the published results, 84% said they would react positively to a hypothetical situation involving Trump's removal under the 25th Amendment after a declaration that he was unable to perform the duties of the presidency.
An impeachment-and-removal scenario also produced a strongly positive response, with approximately 86% of respondents reacting positively.
These questions differed from the military scenario because they involved constitutional processes rather than military leaders assuming control of the government.
The survey's impeachment question reportedly used wording suggesting that Trump had been “impeached and convicted by both houses of Congress.” Under the U.S. constitutional process, the House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the Senate conducts the trial and votes on conviction and removal.
Questions About Trump's Death
The survey also included hypothetical scenarios concerning Trump's death.Approximately 55% to 56% of respondents said they would react positively to a hypothetical situation in which Trump died overnight in his sleep. Around 16% reacted negatively, while the remainder selected a neutral response.
A separate question asked respondents about a hypothetical assassination of Trump while he was speaking at a rally. In that scenario, roughly 31% reacted positively, compared with 43% who reacted negatively and approximately 25% who were neutral.
The assassination scenario was the only one among the five scenarios that produced a larger negative than positive response.
Details of the Survey
The Center for Strategic Politics conducted the survey on September 3 and again from September 8 through September 10, 2026. The sample consisted of 683 self-identified Democratic voters.According to published information about the survey, respondents were recruited through SMS-to-web outreach and online panels and were screened using voter-file information. The sample was weighted by age, ethnicity and gender. The reported margin of error was approximately plus or minus 3.75 percentage points.
Because the survey questioned Democratic voters specifically, its results cannot be used to describe the views of the overall U.S. electorate. It also does not provide a direct comparison with Republican or independent voters.
Importance of Question Wording
The wording of hypothetical questions can influence how respondents interpret a scenario. In this case, the military takeover was explicitly presented as being intended to protect the Constitution.That framing is relevant because the scenario combines two contrasting concepts: military leaders taking control of the government and an asserted purpose of protecting constitutional government.
The survey therefore should be read as a measurement of responses to a particular hypothetical formulation rather than as a direct referendum on military government.
The results also show that respondents expressed substantially higher positive reactions to the scenarios involving constitutional mechanisms for presidential removal than to the military takeover scenario.
The findings come amid continued political polarization in the United States and ongoing debates about presidential power, constitutional institutions and the limits of executive authority.
The survey does not establish the reasons individual respondents selected their answers. It also does not determine whether respondents understood the hypothetical military action in the same way or whether they would maintain the same views if presented with different wording.
Nevertheless, the 59% positive response to the military scenario represents a notable finding within the surveyed group. It indicates that a majority of the Democratic voters questioned said they would react positively to the specific hypothetical presented to them.
The results should be distinguished from evidence of actual political behavior. Responding positively to a hypothetical headline is different from advocating, organizing or participating in an attempt to remove a president through force.\
The survey's other findings provide additional context, showing that Democratic voters in the sample were more likely to respond positively when Trump was hypothetically removed through constitutional procedures such as impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
As with any opinion poll, the findings represent the views of the surveyed sample at the time the interviews were conducted. Future surveys using different samples or question wording could produce different results.
Source: Center for Strategic Politics survey of 683 Democratic voters, September 2026; reporting by Liberal Currents and subsequent coverage.
