53% of Respondents: "Involving in Unnecessary International Issues Instead of Economic Problems"
According to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) poll released on the 18th (local time), a majority of voters oppose the United States "running" Venezuela following the military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which was carried out under the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The WSJ poll, conducted from January 8 to 13 with 1,500 registered voters and a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points, found that 57% opposed President Trump's proposal for the United States to manage Venezuela after the U.S. special forces bombed targets in Caracas and captured President Maduro and his wife earlier this month.
The WSJ assessed that these results show voters are not actively supporting deep U.S. involvement in Venezuela's national reconstruction, which is expected to be a prolonged process. President Trump previously stated, "We (the United States) will effectively run the country (Venezuela) until a proper transfer of power is achieved."
Regarding the military operation itself to bring President Maduro to trial on drug-related charges and other accusations, public opinion was nearly evenly split, with 49% in favor and 47% opposed. Among respondents, 89% of Republican supporters approved of the operation, while 86% of Democratic supporters opposed it, highlighting a stark partisan divide.
Additionally, 52% of respondents said President Trump should have obtained congressional approval for the operation in Venezuela. Furthermore, 53% felt that President Trump was excessive in his threats toward Colombia, Cuba, and other countries.
Moreover, 53% of respondents evaluated that President Trump "chose to involve himself in unnecessary foreign issues instead of focusing on economic problems." Only 42% believed he was addressing urgent national security threats. The WSJ pointed out, "This shows that voters want President Trump to focus more on domestic issues in the United States."
Dina Smeltz, Director of Public Opinion and Foreign Policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA), also commented, "The reason for the decline in support for President Trump's foreign policy is that voters considered inflation and immigration to be the most important issues in the 2024 election and voted accordingly." She added, "Recent polls also indicate that Americans believe President Trump is not focusing on the issues that have the greatest impact on their lives."
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