Nearly Half of Americans Want U.S. to Take a Less Active Global Role, Even as Many Back Venezuela Action: Survey

Nearly half of Americans say they want the United States to take a "less active" role in solving the world's problems, even as many support military intervention in specific cases such as Venezuela, according to recent polling.

An AP-NORC poll found that 45% of U.S. adults want the country to scale back its role in global affairs, up sharply from 33% in September 2025. About one-third said the current level of involvement is "about right," while roughly one in five said the U.S. should be more active internationally.

The same survey found that 56% of Americans believe President Donald Trump has "gone too far" in using the U.S. military to intervene in other countries. Majorities also disapprove of how Trump is handling foreign policy overall and the situation in Venezuela, figures that closely track his general job approval rating.

The findings come amid an expansion of U.S. actions abroad, including the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, warnings toward Iran, and Trump's repeated assertions that U.S. control of Greenland is essential for national security. On Wednesday the president claimed that "anything less" than US control of the European territory would be considered "unacceptable."

Other polling released on Tuesday, however, suggests that Americans' desire for restraint does not preclude support for intervention under certain circumstances. A separate Morning Consult survey found that 60% of respondents said they would be more likely to support U.S. military intervention in Venezuela when informed of alleged ties between the country and narcoterrorism, Iran, and Hezbollah.

That contrast is reflected in the AP-NORC data as well. About half of respondents said U.S. intervention in Venezuela would help stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, and 44% said it would do more to help than harm the Venezuelan people. Americans were more divided on whether the intervention would benefit U.S. economic or national security interests.

Partisan divisions remain sharp. Roughly nine in ten Democrats and about six in ten independents said Trump has gone too far on military intervention, compared with about two in ten Republicans. Most Republicans, 71%, said Trump's actions have been "about right," though few want him to go further.

The desire for a less active U.S. role is now driven largely by Democrats and independents, at least half of whom favor doing less globally. Republicans, by contrast, have become more likely to say the current level of engagement is appropriate.