A new CBS/YouGov poll has found that 70% of Americans oppose the US taking military action against Venezuela, reaffirming previous polls that show the idea of launching a war to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is extremely unpopular among Americans.
The new poll shows that the opposition to war with Venezuela is much stronger among Democrats, with 92% opposing military action against the country, while 42% of Republicans oppose attacking and 58% support the idea. The large majority of Independents (78%) also oppose attacking Venezuela.
The poll did find that the majority of Republicans believe President Trump needs congressional authorization to launch an attack on Venezuela, something the administration is not seeking. Overall, 76% of respondents said the president would need congressional authorization, including 95% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 53% of Republicans.
The CBS/YouGov poll also found that 76% of Americans, including 92% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans, feel that the Trump administration has not clearly explained its position regarding the possibility of taking military action against Venezuela.
Regarding the US bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in the region, 75% of Americans believe the US should show evidence that the vessels it’s targeting had drugs on them, something the Trump administration has not been doing. The Pentagon has also acknowledged to Congress that it doesn’t know the identities of the people it has been killing on the boats.
The poll found that the majority of respondents, 53%, support the US using military force to attack boats that it suspects are bringing drugs into the US.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll asked if Americans supported using the military to conduct executions of suspected drug traffickers without a judge or a court being involved, which describes the bombing campaign more accurately, and found the majority (51%) opposed, while just 29% approved the extra-judicial executions.
