A new YouGov survey released Friday found that a growing share of Americans oppose U.S. military action near Venezuela, with skepticism mounting over the Trump administration’s recent strikes on boats suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea and East Pacific.
After a month of U.S. operations targeting vessels allegedly linked to narcotics smuggling off Venezuela’s coast, 42 percent of Americans said they strongly or somewhat disapprove of the strikes, while only 27 percent said they support them. Another 31 percent said they were unsure. The administration has carried out at least 14 such strikes since early September, which officials say have killed 61 people.
While the U.S. government has not yet provided direct evidence that the targeted boats were carrying narcotics, a slim majority—51 percent—of respondents said they believe the vessels were involved in drug smuggling.
Nearly half, 48 percent, said they believed the boats were tied to criminal or terrorist organizations. At the same time, 43 percent of those surveyed said they thought some of the destroyed vessels may have been civilian or fishing boats.
Republicans were notably more inclined than Democrats to accept the administration’s claims and to endorse President Donald Trump’s hardline stance on interdiction.
Sixty-six percent of Republicans said they supported Trump’s statement that the administration was “just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” compared with 10 percent of Democrats and 28 percent of independents.
The poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 Americans and has a margin of error of roughly 4 percent, also recorded waning support for maintaining a U.S. naval presence near Venezuela.
Only 30 percent of Americans now support the deployment of Navy vessels off the South American nation’s coast, a drop from 36 percent in early September. The share of respondents who disapprove has remained steady at 37 percent, while the number of those uncertain about the policy has risen to 32 percent.
Both surveys showed consistent opposition to any U.S. military invasion of Venezuela. In the latest results, 46 percent said they strongly or somewhat oppose using force to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power. Only 18 percent supported the idea, and 36 percent remained unsure.
The findings come as President Trump has acknowledged authorizing covert operations in Venezuela and as the U.S. military increases its presence in the Caribbean amid heightened tensions with Caracas. The Trump administration has defended the strikes as part of its campaign against the Soles drug cartel, a network of traffickers and military figures tied to the Maduro regime.
Still, the survey underscores an enduring caution among Americans toward expanded military engagement abroad—particularly in Latin America, where past interventions have often drawn political and humanitarian criticism.
While the president’s supporters view the operations as a show of resolve against narcotics traffickers and rogue regimes, others see them as a reminder of Washington’s need to balance strength with restraint. The poll suggests that Americans remain deeply divided over where that line should be drawn.
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