Poll: Most Americans think Trump has ‘gone too far’ with foreign interventions

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than half of US adults believe President Donald Trump has “gone too far” in using the US military to intervene in other countries, according to a new AP-NORC poll.

The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was conducted January 8-11, after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture. It found that 56 percent of US adults think Trump has overstepped on military interventions abroad, while majorities disapprove of how the Republican president is handling foreign policy in general and Venezuela in particular.

The findings largely cut against Trump’s aggressive foreign policy stance, which has recently included efforts to exert control over Venezuelan oil, calls for the US to take over Greenland, and warnings that the US would provide aid to people protesting in Iran. Many did see the Trump administration’s recent intervention in Venezuela as a “good thing” for stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the US and a benefit for the Venezuelan people, but fewer say it’s a positive for US national security or the US economy.

Republicans are mostly following Trump’s lead, despite the sharp contrast with the “America First” platform he ran on. But few Republicans want Trump to go further, underscoring the risks of a continued focus abroad.

Most Republicans say Trump’s actions have been ‘about right’

While the US used its military power in Venezuela to capture Maduro, Trump has also made recent comments about seizing Greenland “the hard way” if Denmark’s leaders do not agree to a deal for the US to take it over, and he has warned Iran that the US will come to the “rescue” of peaceful protesters.

Democrats and independents are driving the belief that Trump has overstepped. About 9 in 10 Democrats and roughly 6 in 10 independents say Trump has “gone too far” on military intervention, compared with about 2 in 10 Republicans.

The vast majority of Republicans, 71%, say Trump’s actions have been “about right,” and only about 1 in 10 want to see him go further.

About 6 in 10 Americans, 57%, disapprove of how Trump is handling the situation in Venezuela, which is slightly lower than the 61% who disapprove of his approach to foreign policy. Both measures are in line with his overall job approval, which has largely remained steady throughout his second term.

Many say Venezuela op will be good for halting drug trafficking

Many Americans see some benefits from US intervention in Venezuela.

About half of Americans believe the US intervening in Venezuela will be “mostly a good thing” for halting the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Close to 4 in 10, 44%, believe the US actions will do more to benefit than harm the Venezuelan people, who lived under Maduro’s dictatorship for more than a decade. But US adults are divided on whether intervention will be good or bad for US economic and national security interests, or if it simply won’t have an impact.

Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to see benefits to the US action, particularly its effects on drug trafficking. About 8 in 10 Republicans say America’s intervention will be “mostly a good thing” for stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the country, but fewer Republicans, about 6 in 10, believe it will benefit the US economy.

Democrats, independents drive desire for US to take ‘less active’ role

Most Americans don’t want greater US involvement in world affairs, the poll found. Nearly half of Americans want the US to take a “less active” role, and about one-third say its current role is “about right.”

Only about 2 in 10 US adults say they want the country to be more involved globally, including about 1 in 10 Republicans.

At least half of Democrats and independents now want the US to do less, a sharp shift from a few months ago.

Republicans, meanwhile, have grown more likely to indicate that Trump’s level of involvement is right. About 6 in 10 Republicans, 64%, say the country’s current role in world affairs is “about right,” which is up slightly from 55% in September. About one-quarter of Republicans say the US needs to take a “less active role” in solving problems around the globe, down slightly from 34% a few months ago.