Trump voters support military intervention abroad. A new survey shows a key change in the US
A new study by POLITICO shows that 65 percent Trump voters supports the United States taking military action against at least one of several countries: Denmark (Greenland), Cuba, Colombia, Iran, China and Mexico.
Among them, one country stands out in particular.
As much as approx. 50 percent Trump voters supported the US military intervention in Iran – that's it the largest percentage of supporters, taking into account all the countries mentioned in the survey. As for respondents who identified themselves as “MAGA Republicans [ruch “Make America Great Again”, “Uczynić Amerykę Znowu Wielką”] supporting Trump, the number was 61%. respondents.
Trump's latest threats against Tehran only underscore the shift in the Republican Party. The US president stated on Wednesday, January 28 on the Truth Social platform that a “huge armada” is heading towards Iran to “quickly fulfill its mission” if Tehran does not agree to negotiations on its nuclear program. He warned that the attack would be “much worse” than strikes on nuclear facilities that took place last summer.
Although Trump campaigned on ending “endless wars” and vowed to focus on homeland, his turn toward interventionism has not displeased his supporters — he enjoys solid support from supporters in the MAGA movement.
“Trump's theory is that you should do everything you can to protect Americans. And that includes eliminating bad people in some places. That's America first too [polityka “Ameryka przede wszystkim”]” – says Amy Walter, editor-in-chief of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Walter noted, however, that Trump's loyal supporters appear to distinguish between military action against other countries and long-term state-building efforts like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “If only tomorrow [Trump] said that we were sending troops to the Middle East or that we were entering Venezuela, that would be the thing that would break the coalition [zwolenników prezydenta]”.
“Not all of Trump's potential targets are attractive to Republican voters.”
Democrats have a different opinion when it comes to US intervention in the world. According to a survey conducted by the Public First pollster, only 18 percent voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in the last presidential election supported U.S. military action against Iran.
But not all of Trump's potential targets are attractive to Republican voters.
Support for the use of force against Greenland is much lower. Only 21 percent Trump voters in 2024 and 26 percent Trump voters identifying as “MAGA Republicans” supported the idea. The poll was conducted Jan. 16-19, after the U.S. president significantly escalated his rhetoric around Greenland, but before he announced he was ruling out military action during a Jan. 21 speech in Davos, Switzerland.
But that means more than a quarter of Trump's most ardent supporters would encourage him to potentially attack a NATO ally to achieve what he sees as America's strategic goal. After publicly considering the idea of invading an Arctic island Trump backtracked on those threats last week.
Nearly a third of Republican voters support military action closer to U.S. borders as Trump seeks to assert his dominance in the Western Hemisphere.
32 percent Trump voters supported military intervention in Mexico, 30 percent supported military actions in Colombia, and 28 percent stated that the United States should intervene militarily in Cuba.
Among Trump voters who describe themselves as “MAGA Republicans,” the percentage is even higher. By contrast, a much smaller percentage of Harris voters support military action in these countries: 11 percent. in Colombia and Cuba and 10 percent in Mexico.
Trump has repeatedly threatened U.S. military intervention in all three countries. Leading the fight against drug shipments across the US southern border, Trump proposed bombing cartels in Mexico and threatened a change of power to overthrow Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
He is also seeking regime change in Cuba, considering various tactics to overthrow the country's communist government, including imposing a complete blockade of oil imports into the country.
A street in Havana, the capital of Cuba (illustrative photo)Zed Jameson/Anadolu via Getty Images / Contributor / Getty Images
The poll suggests that beyond a group of loyal supporters, Americans remain divided on Trump's focus on foreign affairs. Some fear that his emphasis on intervention in the Western Hemisphere comes at the expense of pressing domestic problems.
Okay. 44 percent Americans believe that Trump has spent too much time on international affairs instead of focusing on domestic challenges.
However, among voters who supported him in the 2024 elections, 59 percent believe he has spent an adequate amount of time on international affairs, compared with just 26% who worry about the president's excessive focus on foreign affairs.
However, 66 percent Harris voters expressed concerns about Trump's focus on foreign affairs. More than half of Harris voters (52%) opposed the US military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Meanwhile, 73 percent Trump voters supported this move.
The division in the US over support for Trump's foreign policy could undermine Democrats' plans to make it an issue ahead of this year's congressional elections. Walter argues that with such strong Republican support for the president's actions, it may be difficult for Democrats to influence the election results by focusing solely on Trump's interventionist policies.
