Most voters say they would oppose President Donald Trump taking military action in Venezuela, according to a new poll released Wednesday.
Why it matters
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have been rising after Trump ordered a blockade targeting sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump accused the “illegitimate Maduro regime” of using “stole Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder and Kidnapping.” While concerns about escalation have grown in recent weeks, the president has not said he wants to declare war on the South American nation.
What to know
A new Quinnipiac University poll found widespread opposition to U.S. military action inside Venezuela. Just 25 percent of respondents said they would support such action, while 63 percent said they would oppose it.
Among independent voters, 68 percent opposed the idea and 19 percent supported it. Support was reported at 4 percent among Democrats and 52 percent among Republicans. Opposition stood at 89 percent among Democrats and 33 percent among Republicans.
The poll also found a narrower majority opposed recent strikes intended “to kill suspected drug smugglers” on boats in the Caribbean Sea.
Overall, 53 percent opposed those strikes and 42 percent approved. By party and affiliation, opposition was 57 percent among independents, 89 percent among Democrats, and 14 percent among Republicans. Support was 38 percent among independents, 6 percent among Democrats, and 83 percent among Republicans.
The survey questioned 1,035 registered voters from December 11–15, 2025, and reported a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
U.S.–Venezuela relations: latest developments
The administration has faced scrutiny over the legality of the strikes targeting suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean. Questions intensified after The Washington Post reported that, after one strike left survivors, a second strike allegedly was ordered to kill those survivors. Critics argued that such an order would be unlawful, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has defended the legality of each strike.
The blockade has become a fresh flashpoint between Washington and Caracas. Venezuela’s government has described it as “utterly irrational” and a “grotesque threat,” arguing it is meant to deprive the country of its wealth.
Trump echoed his criticism in remarks to reporters on Wednesday.
“They took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back,” he said. “But they took it. They illegally took it.”
What people are saying
Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday evening: “Today, I am ordering A TOTAL AND COMPLETE BLOCKADE OF ALL SANCTIONED OIL TANKERS going into, and out of, Venezuela. The Illegal Aliens and Criminals that the Maduro Regime has sent into the United States during the weak and inept Biden Administration, are being returned to Venezuela at a rapid pace. America will not allow Criminals, Terrorists, or other Countries, to rob, threaten, or harm our Nation and, likewise, will not allow a Hostile Regime to take our Oil, Land, or any other Assets, all of which must be returned to the United States.”
Representative Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, wrote on X: “No war with Venezuela. Americans are exhausted by forever wars and attempts at regime change.”
Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican, wrote on X: “Maduro is not the president of Venezuela, he’s a narcoterrorist. @POTUS is right to take action to stop him and his thugs from sending deadly drugs into our country to kill our kids and grandkids.”
Representative Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, wrote on X: “Trump’s illegal military strikes in Venezuela aren’t about drugs. They are about regime change. But we must be clear – only Congress has the authority to declare war. Not the president. We must pass our War Powers Resolution and re-establish Congress’s power.”
What happens next
The U.S. is not formally at war with Venezuela, but the latest moves—and the political debate around them—suggest tensions could remain high in the days and weeks ahead.
