There are few signs that the president’s supporters Donald Trump wanted the United States to become more involved in foreign conflicts before the recent military intervention in Venezuela, even as many Republicans show initial support for the event, according to an analysis by Associated Press from recent surveys.
The “large-scale” operation launched by US forces in the early hours of Saturday to capture Nicolás Maduro in Caracas caused a deep division in the United States, where Almost half of the population expressed their rejection and a similar portion approved Trump’s decision.
And nine out of ten assure that it is the Venezuelans themselves who should decide on their future government, and not the United States.
Most Americans wanted their government to focus in 2026 on domestic issues, such as health care and the high cost of living, rather than foreign policy issues, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted last month. Meanwhile, polls taken immediately after the military operation that captured the Chavista leader suggest that many Americans are not convinced that their government should intervene to take control of Venezuela.
And despite Trump’s suggestion that the United States could take on a broader role in the Western Hemisphere, Republicans in polls last fall remained generally opposed to his government becoming more involved in other countries’ problems.
A dilemma for Donald Trump in an election year
There is still room for public opinion to shift as the Trump administration clarifies its next steps for Venezuela. But it could be a challenging issue for the Republican president, especially given Americans’ desire for the government to solve economic problems at home.
And this conflict will surely weigh on how Americans will vote in the crucial midterm congressional elections next November, when Republicans risk losing control of the House of Representatives.
Foreign policy and the drug trade were not high priorities for many Americans. Going into the new year, Americans were less likely to want the government to focus on foreign policy than they had been in recent years.
About a quarter of adults cited foreign policy issues, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Israel or general foreign involvement, as something they wanted the government to prioritize in 2026, according to an open-ended question from AP-NORC that asked respondents to share up to five issues they wanted the government to work on in the coming year.
That was down from the previous two years, when about a third considered foreign issues to be an important focus. Almost no one specifically mentioned Venezuela.
Nicolás Maduro was not a priority
Maduro pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges on Monday in New York. His capture followed US attacks on ships the Trump administration said were carrying drugs.
Despite the Trump administration’s focus on the drug issue, it is not at the top of Americans’ lists of issues they want the government to focus on. Few citizens mentioned drug problems as a priority, and it was primarily a Republican issue. About one in 10 Republicans mentioned it, compared to almost no Democrats or independents.
Instead, Americans in general were more focused on domestic issues, including healthcare, economic concerns and cost of living, as top priorities for the government.
Rejection of the US managing Venezuela
Americans are divided over Maduro’s capture, with many still forming opinions, according to a poll by The Washington Post and SSRS using text messages over the weekend.
About four in 10 approved of the army being sent to capture Maduro, while about the same proportion opposed it. About two in 10 were unsure. Republicans largely approved of the action, while Democrats largely opposed it.
Almost half of Americans 45% opposed the United States taking control of Venezuela and electing a new government for the country. About nine in 10 Americans said the Venezuelan people should be the ones to decide their country’s future leadership.
In December, a Quinnipiac poll found that about six in 10 registered voters opposed US military action in Venezuela. Republicans were more divided: About half were in favor, while about a third were opposed and 15% had no opinion.
Few Republicans wanted the United States to become more involved in the world’s problems. Only about one in 10 Republicans wanted the country to take a “more active role” in solving the world’s problems, according to a September AP-NORC poll.
They are much less likely than Americans overall, or Democrats and independents, to say the United States should get more involved. A majority of Republicans, 55%, said Washington’s current role in global affairs was “about right.”
Could be a complicated position for a president who ran on a promise to put “America First” and end the country’s involvement in “forever wars.” About seven in 10 voters who supported Trump in the 2024 election said they wanted the United States to take a “less active” role in solving the world’s problems, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of interviews with registered voters in all 50 states.
In December, citizens were largely divided over whether Trump was fulfilling his “America First” campaign promise, according to a Fox News poll. About half felt they were keeping that promise, and a similar proportion felt they had abandoned it.
But at least in that poll, which was conducted before the military operation that removed Maduro, Trump’s supporters still largely supported him: About one in 10 of those who voted for Trump in 2024 felt he had abandoned the promise of “America First,” while the vast majority felt he had kept it.