WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - One in three Americans approves of the U.S. military strike on Venezuela that toppled the country's president and 72% worrythe U.S. will become too involved in the South American country, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that concluded on Monday.
The two-day poll showed 65% of Republicans back the military operation ordered by Republican President Donald Trump, compared to 11% of Democrats and 23% of independents.
U.S. forces swooped into Caracas before dawn on Saturdayin a deadly raid that yielded the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the U.S. military turned over to federal authorities for prosecution on charges involving alleged drug trafficking.
The raid, and Trump's subsequent statement that the U.S. would now "run" Venezuela, marked a sharp departure for a president who long criticized other U.S.leaders for foreign entanglements.
The move came after his administration signaled that it intended to focus primarily on the domestic economy, a significant concern for voters heading into this year's midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the last two years of Trump's term.
REPUBLICANS BACK 'DOMINATING' POLICY
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted on Sunday and Monday, showed significant support among Republicans for a foreign policy that includes exerting influence over nearby countries.
Some 43% of Republicans said they agreed with the statement: "The United States should have a policy of dominating affairs in the Western Hemisphere," compared with 19% who disagreed. The rest said they were unsure or did not answer the question.
Trump on Saturday said the U.S. would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified time and could send in ground troops. Vowing to overhaul Venezuela's oil industry, he said on Sunday the U.S. needs "total access" to the country's large oil fields.
Some 60% of Republicans in the Reuters/Ipsos poll said they supported sending U.S. troops to be stationed in Venezuela, compared to 30% of Americans overall. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans said they supported the U.S. taking control of oil fields in Venezuela.
It remains unclear how Trump means to carry out his promise to run Venezuela. On Sunday, he appeared to indicate that Washington would control Venezuela by intimidating its leaders rather than actually governing the country.
"If they don't behave, we will do a second strike," Trump said. Whatever course he takes, the Reuters/Ipsos poll showed 65% of Republicans support the U.S. governing Venezuela.
Republicans are more divided in their worries over how U.S. involvement could evolve. Some 54% of Republicans said they worried the U.S. will become too involved in Venezuela.
The same percentage expressed concern about the financial costs, compared to 45% who said they were unconcerned. Sixty-four percent of Republicans were worried U.S. involvement would risk the lives of military personnelin Venezuela.
The poll, which surveyed 1,248 U.S. adults nationwide, showed Trump's approval rating at 42%, the highest rating since October and up from 39% in a December poll. The poll, which was conducted online, had a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; editing by Scott Malone and Cynthia Osterman)
