More than half of US adults believe President Donald Trump has gone too far in using the American military to intervene in other countries, according to a new AP-NORC poll released this week.
The survey, conducted from January 8 to 11 after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, found that 56 percent of Americans think Trump has overstepped in his use of military force overseas. Majorities also disapprove of how the Republican president is handling foreign policy in general and the situation in Venezuela in particular.
The findings come amid Trump’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, which has included US military action in Venezuela, calls for American control over Greenland, and warnings that Washington would come to the aid of protesters in Iran.
While many respondents said the US intervention in Venezuela was a “good thing” for stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the United States and could benefit the Venezuelan people, fewer viewed it as positive for US national security or the American economy.
Republicans largely back Trump’s approach, though few want him to go even further. The poll shows a sharp divide along party lines, with Democrats and independents driving the view that Trump has gone too far.
About nine in ten Democrats and roughly six in ten independents said Trump has overstepped on military intervention, compared with only about two in ten Republicans. Among Republicans, 71 percent said Trump’s actions have been “about right,” while only around one in ten want him to take a more aggressive approach.
Overall, 57 percent of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling Venezuela, slightly lower than the 61 percent who disapprove of his foreign policy more broadly. Both figures are in line with his overall job approval rating, which has remained largely steady during his second term.
Many Americans, however, see some benefits in the US action in Venezuela. About half believe the intervention will be mostly positive for stopping illegal drug trafficking into the US, while 44 percent think it will do more good than harm for the Venezuelan people, who lived under Maduro’s rule for more than a decade.
Opinion is more divided on whether the intervention will help or hurt US economic and national security interests.
The poll also found that most Americans do not want greater US involvement in global affairs. Nearly half said the country should take a less active role in world affairs, while about one-third said its current role is about right. Only around two in ten want the US to be more involved internationally.
At least half of Democrats and independents now favour a less active US role abroad, marking a shift from just a few months ago. Republicans, meanwhile, have become more supportive of Trump’s level of global engagement, with 64 percent saying America’s current role in world affairs is about right.