According to a recent poll conducted by J.L. Partners and reported by the Daily Mail, American voters largely perceive President Donald Trump’s primary reason for military intervention in Venezuela as a bid to seize the country’s oil resources.

This survey, conducted online with 999 registered voters earlier this week, revealed that 39 percent of respondents believe Trump’s decision to launch a military operation and apprehend Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was driven by the desire to tap into Venezuela’s extensive oil reserves.

In addition to oil, 30 percent of those surveyed suggested that the mission aimed to curb the influx of illegal drugs into the United States, while 17 percent felt the action was taken to depose an illegitimate ruler.

The context for these actions stems from the political landscape in Venezuela, where the United States, under President Joe Biden in November 2024, recognized Edmundo González as the rightful president-elect. Despite this, Nicolás Maduro maintained his grip on power until his capture on Saturday.

The poll further highlighted a partisan divide, with Democratic respondents more inclined to attribute Trump’s motivation to oil interests compared to their Republican counterparts.

Democrats were more likely to pick ‘oil’ as Trump’s motivation than their Republican counterparts, the survey found.

When the responses were divided by party preference, 59 percent of Democrats said Trump did it for the oil, compared to 17 percent of Republicans and 38 percent of independents.

Republicans were most likely to believe the White House’s explanation that Maduro needed to go due to his widespread drug trafficking. 

President Donald Trump (right) held a press conference Saturday at Mar-a-Lago and took questions on the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and future leadership of the country. The biggest swath of American voters believe it was due to the country’s oil riches

Forty-eight percent of Republicans named drugs as the top reason for the military action, with just 14 percent of Democrats agreeing. 

Thirty percent of independents also named drugs. 

After drugs, the second biggest group of Republicans said Trump was motivated to remove an illegitimate ruler. 

Twenty-six percent of GOP voters believed this to be the case, versus 16 percent of independents and just 9 percent of Democrats.

Republicans were the least likely to believe Trump deposed Maduro over oil. 

When respondents were asked if they were OK with the idea that the military action was motivated by oil, a majority – 52 percent – said they weren’t. 

Another 29 percent said it is OK if the U.S. involvement in Venezuela was over oil, while 20 percent answered that they were unsure.

When that question was broken down by party, Republicans were much more tolerant of the U.S. going into Venezuela for oil, while Democrats and independents were largely in agreement that they were not. 

An image of the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela. Fifty-nine percent of Democrats said they believed President Donald Trump’s military action in Venezuela was to take control of the nation’s oil riches

Packs of drugs are seen on Tiraya beach in Venezuela in 2022. Polling found that 48 percent of Republicans think that President Donald Trump was motivated by Venezuela’s drug trade to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro

Fifty-two percent of Republicans were OK with the U.S. going into Venezuela over oil, compared to 20 percent of independents and 16 percent of Democrats.

On the flip side,  67 percent of Democrats were not OK with the U.S. going into Venezuela over oil, which was nearly in line with the 56 percent of independents who agreed. 

Just 29 percent of Republicans didn’t think it was OK for the U.S. to get militarily involved in Venezuela over oil. 

Voters were also asked what they think should happen next. 

The top choice for Democrats and independents was that the opposition, who won the 2024 elections, should take over. 

Thirty-five percent of Democrats and 29 percent of independents polled gave this answer. 

Trump has reportedly brushed off the idea of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado leading the country because she accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, which the U.S. president coveted. 

Republicans’ top choice was that the U.S. should run the country until new elections are held, with 33 percent of GOP voters surveyed holding this view.

The second most popular answer among Republicans was also that the opposition leaders would be put in charge, with 24 percent in agreement. 

Across the board, Republicans, Democrats and independents preferred that the current Venezuelan government continue to rule rather than support a long-term U.S. occupation. 

Twenty-three percent of Democrats, 16 percent of independents and 14 percent of Republicans selected the current regime, whereas 7 percent of Democrats, 9 percent of independents and 13 percent of Republicans wished to see the U.S. occupy Venezuela indefinitely.