Damla Delialioglu and Selcuk Uysal
06 January 2026•Update: 06 January 2026
- 40% approved of decision to send US forces to apprehend Maduro
- 42% oppose, 18% undecided, express no opinion
ANKARA
A Washington Post poll revealed that Americans are deeply divided about the US military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The survey found 40% approved of the decision to send US forces to apprehend Maduro, while 42% opposed, and 18% remained undecided or expressed no opinion.
The divide breaks sharply along partisan lines. Approximately 74% of Republicans approved of the military action, reflecting strong backing among the party’s voters for the move against the Venezuelan leader, who has been criticized for alleged ties to drug trafficking, migration pressures and anti-American alliances.
In contrast, 76% of Democrats disapproved, viewing the intervention as an overreach.
A majority of Americans, 63%, opposed President Donald Trump ordering the operation without congressional approval, with 37% considering it appropriate.
Asked about prosecuting Maduro in the US for drug trafficking, half of the respondents supported the idea, 14% opposed, and 36% were unsure.
Support dropped further on broader involvement: just 24% backed the US installing a new government in Venezuela, compared to 45% who oppose the step, and 30% were undecided.
An overwhelming 94% agreed the Venezuelan people should decide their future government, while only 6% believed the US should hold that authority.
While the poll indicates partial approval for the capture among the Republican base, particularly for its symbolic blow against a regime blamed for regional instability, the action has drawn criticism from anti-interventionist and "Never Trump" segments of the Republican party.
Some advocates of “America First,” one of Trump’s campaign slogans, and isolationist voices, have said the move contradicts the US president’s promises to end endless wars and avoid foreign regime-change entanglements, warning that it risks drawing the US into a prolonged conflict despite assurances of a limited operation.
The tension underscores fractures within the Republican coalition, where the raid enjoys mainstream conservative support for its anti-Maduro stance but alienates those wary of renewed military adventurism abroad.
On Jan. 3, US special forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a nighttime raid in Caracas, taking him into US custody amid airstrikes on military targets.
The operation, authorized by Trump, stemmed from long-standing federal indictments accusing Maduro of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption.
On Jan. 5, Maduro appeared in a New York City federal court in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The poll was conducted via text message form Jan. 3 - 4, among a random national sample of 1,004 adults, shortly after a raid in the Venezuelan capital.
