How Americans feel about potential U.S. military involvement in Venezuela
On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced “Operation Southern Spear,” aiming to remove “narco-terrorists” from the Western Hemisphere.
It’s not immediately clear what the scope of the operation is and if, or how, it will affect public opinion. But recent Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted shortly before Hegseth’s announcement give us clues as to how Americans might react.
Below are five charts on how Americans feel about potential U.S. military involvement In Venezuela.
- Do the benefits outweigh the risks? A majority of Americans say no. That said, attitudes toward U.S. military action against drug cartels are largely drawn along familiar partisan lines, with most Democrats in opposition and most Republican in support.
- On more specific aspects. A plurality support designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. But when potential caveats of further U.S. military involvement are mentioned, support drops. In particular, the loss of American life or the perception that the military is being used to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power could compromise public support.
- Concern over the impact of drugs. Concern over opioids and fentanyl doesn’t register as the top issue facing American public health, but it is near the top of the list of concerns. It’s also a top issue among Republicans.
- Perceptions of Trump’s handling of foreign policy. Trump’s approval rating on foreign policy isn’t as high as his approval rating on immigration, but it isn’t as low as his approval rating on inflation.
- An increasingly isolationist country. In polling conducted shortly after the U.S. airstrikes on Iran, a majority of Americans – including Republicans, Democrats, and independents – said they feel it’s better if the U.S. stays out of other nations’ affairs. Data shows that the nation is growing increasingly skeptical of American involvement in foreign affairs, especially among younger Americans.
It’s too early to know how “Operation Southern Spear” will pan out, or how it might impact the perception of Trump’s administration as a whole. The result likely won’t win over Democrats, but if it pans out well, it could become a rallying point for Republicans hoping to see more action against America’s drug crisis. In order to maintain support for the operation, the Trump administration will need to prevent the loss of American life and focus on framing the operation as being primarily anti-drug as opposed to anti-Maduro. Watch this space.
