- Only 11% of Democrats, 23% of independents support the US strike.
- About 43% of Republicans support US dominance policies.
- Nearly 59% of Republicans support US control of Venezuelan oil.
Washington: One in three Americans approve of the US military strike on Venezuela that toppled the country’s president, and 72% worry the US will become too involved in the South American country, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday.
The two-day poll found that 65% of Republicans support the military operation ordered by Republican President Donald Trump, compared with 11% of Democrats and 23% of independents.
US forces swept into Caracas before dawn on Saturday in a deadly raid that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the US military handed over to federal authorities for prosecution on alleged drug-trafficking charges.
The raid and Trump’s subsequent statement that the U.S. would now “rule” Venezuela marked a sharp departure for a president who had long criticized other U.S. leaders for foreign entanglements.
The move came after his administration signaled it intended to focus primarily on the domestic economy, a key concern for voters heading into this year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s term.
Republicans back ‘dominant’ policy
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Sunday and Monday, showed significant support among Republicans for a foreign policy that includes exerting influence on neighboring countries.
About 43% of Republicans said they agreed with the statement, “The United States should have a policy of dominating affairs in the Western Hemisphere,” compared to 19% who disagreed. The rest said they were unsure or did not answer the question.
Trump said Saturday that the United States would “govern” Venezuela for an unspecified period of time and could send in ground troops. He vowed to overhaul Venezuela’s oil industry and said Sunday that the United States needs “total access” to the country’s vast oil fields.
About 60% of Republicans in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they supported sending U.S. troops to be stationed in Venezuela, compared with 30% of Americans overall. 59 percent of Republicans said they supported the United States taking control of the oil fields in Venezuela.
It remains unclear how Trump will fulfill his promise to lead Venezuela. On Sunday, he appeared to indicate that Washington wanted to control Venezuela by intimidating its leaders rather than actually running the country.
“If they don’t behave, we’re going to do another strike,” Trump said. Whatever course he takes, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 65% of Republicans support the United States governing Venezuela.
Republicans are more divided in their concerns about how US involvement might evolve. About 54% of Republicans said they were concerned that the United States will become too involved in Venezuela.
The same percentage expressed concern about the financial costs, compared to 45% who said they were not concerned. Sixty-four percent of Republicans were concerned that US involvement would risk the lives of military personnel in Venezuela.
The survey, which surveyed 1,248 American adults nationwide, showed Trump’s approval rating at 42%, the highest rating since October and up from 39% in a December poll. The poll, which was conducted online, had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
