Americans overwhelmingly oppose military intervention in Venezuela, poll finds

As US pressure on President Nicolás Maduro intensifies, Americans overwhelmingly oppose military action against Venezuela.

According to a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday, 63% of participants stated they oppose military action against Caracas, while only 25% expressed support. Additionally, 53% of respondents said they oppose the administration’s use of military strikes to kill alleged drug traffickers in international waters.

Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of members of Congress is demanding that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth release video of a strike that killed survivors of an initial attack on a boat allegedly engaged in maritime drug trafficking. Some legal experts and lawmakers argue that the “double tap” strike may violate international law.

The White House released a statement defending the administration’s actions off the coasts of Central and South America. Spokesperson Anna Kelly stated:

“During the campaign, President Trump promised to wage war on the cartels, and he has taken unprecedented steps to stop the scourge of narcoterrorism that causes the unnecessary deaths of innocent Americans. All of these decisive strikes were carried out against specific narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores, and the President will continue to use every element of American power to stop the flow of drugs into our country.”

The President continues to keep the possibility of further measures against Venezuela open. In an interview with POLITICO last week, he did not rule out the possibility of a ground invasion. On Tuesday, he ordered a blockade of the country, targeted sanctioned oil tankers, and announced that he would designate the Maduro government as a foreign terrorist organization.

Americans also expressed concerns regarding the president’s expanded executive authority. 54% said the president has gone too far in exercising presidential power, 37% said he is using it correctly, and 7% said he has not been aggressive enough. The results were split along partisan lines: 96% of Democrats expressed concern over the president’s authority, compared to only 11% of Republicans. These views align with a POLITICO poll conducted last month, in which 53% of Americans said Trump held too much power.

On the other hand, House Republicans narrowly defeated efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s campaign against suspected drug trafficking vessels in Latin America and to prevent military action against Venezuela. The vote marked the first time the House of Representatives has weighed in on the boat strikes, which began in September, and the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Republicans largely stood together to defeat the Democrat-led measures, and Speaker Mike Johnson limited the number of party defectors to just a handful of Republican lawmakers.

An amendment blocking strikes against designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere was introduced by Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but was rejected by a vote of 210-216. Two Republicans broke ranks to support the measure, but they were offset by two Democrats who voted against it.

A second measure introduced by Democratic Representative Jim McGovern, which would prohibit military actions in or against Venezuela, was rejected by an even narrower margin of 211-213. Three Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the measure, while one Democrat voted against it.