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By Sam Stevenson
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump’s overall job approval has not seen significant movement across major national trackers since the U.S. captured Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro on Saturday.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Newsweek that Venezuelan Americans are "literally celebrating in the streets thanks to President Trump’s decisive action to arrest indicted narcoterrorist Nicolas Maduro."
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She added: "All of the president’s foreign policy actions have put America First while making the entire world safer and more stable, and the American people know it."
Why It Matters
Trump had portrayed himself as an anti-war "president of peace," and polls conducted in December before the operation showed that most Americans opposed U.S. military action in Venezuela.
Yet history shows that some previous presidents, including George W. Bush, experienced notable short-term popularity boosts following foreign military interventions.
Today, comparing national approval polls before and after the Venezuela operation provides insight into the potential impact of Trump's foreign policy on public opinion—a key concern as the nation approaches the 2026 midterms.
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What To Know
Maduro’s apprehension by U.S. forces and subsequent arrest on January 3, 2026 marked one of the most high-profile foreign policy moves of Trump's second term.
The operation drew domestic and international attention, with political analysts scrutinizing whether such dramatic international interventions influence a president's popularity at home.
Three major polls—Reuters/Ipsos, YouGov/Economist, and Rasmussen Reports—have released approval rating data covering the period before and after Maduro's capture on January 3, 2026.
Each measures public opinion using nationally representative samples, though methodologies and timelines differ slightly.
All major indices and polling averages still reflect disapproval rates exceeding approval, and sharp partisan divides persist—particularly among independents and Democratic voters.
Reuters/Ipsos
According to Reuters/Ipsos, Trump's approval rating increased from 39 percent in December 2025 to 42 percent in early January 2026, following the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
The January 4-5 survey polled 1,248 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of approximately 3 percentage points.
This rise marked Trump's highest approval since October 2025, though disapproval continued to outpace approval.
YouGov/Economist
The Economist/YouGov weekly surveys show Trump’s job approval holding steady through the period surrounding Maduro’s capture.
In early December, approval stood at 41 percent with 55 percent disapproval, but by late December it had slipped to 39 percent approve and 56 percent disapprove.
The first January wave, which spans the capture date, recorded the same 39 percent approval and 56 percent disapproval, indicating no immediate shift in public sentiment.
For its most recent survey, YouGov interviewed 1,551 U.S. adult citizens online between January 2 and 5, 2026, and the poll had a roughly ± 3 percent margin of error.
Overall, the data suggests a slight decline from early December and then a plateau, with no evidence of a post‑capture bounce.
Rasmussen Reports
Rasmussen’s daily tracking shows approval hovering in the mid-40s throughout the last weeks of December and into January.
For example, Trump registered 44 percent approval and 54 percent disapproval on January 6, with a net approval index of -13, comparable to late December figures (44 to 45 percent approval, 53 to 54 percent disapproval)
While there was a very modest uptick of one percentage point on January 5, no substantial deviation from the late December trend is reported in the week immediately after the Venezuela operation.
Rasmussen’s daily tracking combines telephone interviews with 300 likely voters each night and reports results as a five-day rolling average. To include people without landlines, the survey also uses an online tool to randomly select participants from a diverse panel.
For the full sample of 1,500 likely voters, the margin of error was plus or minus 2.5 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level, according to the pollsters.
Poll Aggregates
Averages compiled by Decision Desk HQ, Ballotpedia, and VoteHub all report approval near 42 to 43 percent in early January, with disapproval between 53 and 55 percent, confirming a net-negative but slightly improved position compared to November's lows.
These polling trackers average recent credible polls—prioritizing trusted sources and newer data—to provide a clear, up-to-date snapshot of public opinion.
What People Are Saying
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Newsweek: "The Biden administration and over 60 countries recognized Maduro’s rule as illegitimate, but only this President had the courage to hold him accountable for his crimes of killing countless Americans with illicit narcotics."
Scott Tranter, director of data science at Decision Desk HQ, said: "Roughly a year in, he's right in the middle. He's right where, basically, he's been all year, which is unremarkable. It's remarkable because it's unremarkable."
White House spokesperson Kush Desai, said: "President Trump and every member of his administration are clear-eyed about the fact that Americans continue to reel from the lingering effects of Joe Biden's generational economic crisis. Much work remains, and every member of the Trump administration continues to focus on recreating the historic job, wage, and economic growth that Americans enjoyed during President Trump's first term."
Trump wrote on Truth Social: "The polls are rigged even more than the writers. The real number is 64 percent, and why not, our Country is 'hotter' than ever before. Isn't it nice to have a STRONG BORDER, No Inflation, a powerful Military, and great Economy??? Happy New Year!"
On the Venezuela intervention, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and Trump supporter-turned-critic, said Sunday on NBC News' Meet the Press: "This is the same Washington playbook that we are so sick and tired of that doesn’t serve the American people, but actually serves the big corporations, the banks, and the oil executives. I want to see domestic policy be the priority that helps Americans afford life after four disastrous years of the Biden administration."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, wrote on X: "As the affordability crisis spirals out of control and people’s health care costs skyrocket, this administration’s actions in Venezuela make one thing clear: Donald Trump is the least ‘America First’ POTUS in our country’s history."
Vice President JD Vance wrote on X on Saturday: "The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation."
Matt Wylie, political strategist, told Newsweek on Monday: "Many of his supporters backed Trump precisely because he promised not to drag America into foreign conflicts. That promise is now broken. This latest move pours gasoline on a smoldering fire. The result is a party headed into critical elections with a divided base, collapsing credibility, and a crisis entirely of its own making."
What Happens Next
While short-term boosts in approval can follow major foreign policy actions, sustained improvements typically depend on the public's perception of longer-term outcomes.
Economic issues continue to top the public's list of concerns, and upcoming policy decisions—as well as the ongoing situation in Venezuela—could sway ratings in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
Update 1/8/26, 5:03 a.m. ET. This article was updated with a new White House statement.
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