Americans Hesitant on Venezuela Intervention, But Support for Trump’s Strong Leadership Grows

"...The situation around Venezuela has Americans asking to know more...."

"...Meanwhile, what Americans hear from the White House about inflation is, they say, not what they're actually feeling at home: rising prices and worsening economic views...."

"...In the meantime, Americans do not think of Venezuela as a major threat to the US...."

"...So, the idea of potential U.S. military action in Venezuela meets with widespread disapproval...."

"...Just one in five Americans have heard a lot about the U.S. military buildup in the first place...."

"...That may be another expression of that sense of limited information about the purpose...."

"...However, most Americans don't think U.S. military action in Venezuela would change the amount of drugs coming into the U.S...."

"...Looking more closely within the president's GOP base: MAGA Republicans are actually more supportive of potential military action than non-MAGA ones...."

"...For context, that is similar to what we've seen over time on many issues, including foreign policy, in which that part of the base is largely deferential to the president...."

"...But many who are opposed to military action, including those within the GOP ranks, may also be seeing this in terms of issue priorities...."

"...They're a little more likely to judge the administration on what it does about the economy than those in favor...."

"...And most who judge him on the economy think he isn't spending enough time on it...."

"...There's a disconnect between how Americans hear the White House describing the economy, and what they're feeling themselves...."

"...This comes as ratings for the overall economy continue to be low — as they've been for years — ticking down this week to their lowest mark in 2025...."

"...Prices, more generally, are still seen by most as going up...."

"...As we head into the holiday season, that economic dissatisfaction includes the majority of Americans who feel President Trump's policies are making the cost of food and groceries, specifically, go up...."

"...So, that disconnect appears to continue to weigh on the president's ratings...."

"...There are many ways Americans judge a president...."

"...For those who say they judge Mr. Trump most on what he does about the economy and inflation, they overwhelmingly say he isn't spending enough time on that...."

"...That, in turn, has continued to push his approval on handling the economy and inflation down over the course of several months...."

"...That trend continues this week, with assessments of the overall economy, and his ratings for handling the economy and inflation, hitting lows for the year...."

"...He does especially poorly on handling the economy among people who mainly judge him on that...."

"...Among independents, his ratings for handling the economy, and his ratings overall, have also hit lows for the year...."

"...That has continued to push his approval rating overall lower over time too, now down to their low point for his second term after a steady decline over recent months...."

"...The president does a little better on his handling of immigration, backed by continued large support from the GOP base, as has been the case for months...."

"...The decline in the president's overall approval ratings connects to people's economic priorities in this way: even among those who voted for him in 2024, disapproval today is more likely to come when people are judging him mostly on the economy...."

"...The administration's deportation program continues to split the country, but support is underpinned by strong approval from Republicans...."

"...Most — particularly those outside the GOP base — continue to feel that ICE is detaining more people than necessary...."

"...But the deportation program is seen by many as more undermining than strengthening the economy...."

"...One possible reason: a third of the country (who tend to live in cities and suburbs) say it is impacting their community for the worse, and they feel people in their area are staying home more as a result of the program...."

"...Americans across party lines think it is important to see the Epstein files released...."

"...Americans overwhelmingly believe they will contain damaging information about powerful people...."

"...Most say it's too soon to know if what's in them is true...."

"...On balance, though, more think that information will be true rather than false...."

"...Republicans are more satisfied with how the Trump administration is handling the Epstein case than they were in the summer...."

"...Today, most others are not satisfied...."

"...However, the president's Republican base says issues surrounding the files are not important to how they judge him...."

"...Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say this doesn't affect how they evaluate Trump overall...."

"...Independents and Democrats, though, give it comparably more importance in this regard...."