Seven In Ten Americans Believe Trump Admin Has Not Clearly Explained Its Plans Regarding Venezuela, Polls Shows

Seven in ten Americans believe the Trump administration has not clearly explained its plans regarding Venezuela, according to a new poll.

Conducted by CBS News and YouGov, the survey also showed that a little more than half of people surveyed (52%) disapproves of the military action conducted to remove Nicolas Maduro from power this past weekend.

Moreover, less than four in ten people (37%) say the goal the administration is pursuing involves stopping gangs and terrorists from entering the U.S. 38% believe it's about stopping drugs from entering the country, and just over half (51%) claimed it's about expanding U.S. power in the region. In contrast, 59% claimed the goal involves getting access to Venezuela's oil.

Asked if they would approve of the actions if they sought access to the country's oil, less than a third of respondents (32%) approve of it, with the figure climbing to 88% if it was about stopping drugs from entering the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told reporters that the administration envisions a three-part process of stabilization, recovery and transition in Venezuela.

Rubio told reporters the first phase would involve what he described as a "quarantine," including continued seizures of sanctioned oil and the sale of up to 30 to 50 million barrels on the open market.

The proceeds, he said, would be controlled by the United States and distributed in ways intended to benefit Venezuelans rather than former regime figures. A second phase would focus on reopening the Venezuelan market and rebuilding civil society, while details of a political transition remain undefined.

Trump has said his administration is "getting along very well" with Venezuela's interim regime after the capture of Maduro. In a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times, Trump said the regime led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez is "giving us everything that we feel is necessary."

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump said his administration expects to maintain direct oversight of the government in Caracas for an extended period, noting that it will last "much longer than a year."

Trump declined to set a specific timeline for the involvement, saying his government plans to extract and sell Venezuelan oil while providing funds back to the country. "We will rebuild it in a very profitable way," he told the news outlet, explaining that the United States would use Venezuelan crude to lower global prices while directing revenue to meet Venezuela's needs. He also acknowledged that reviving the country's oil sector would take years.