As Trump Eyes Greenland and the Western Hemisphere, Polls Show Voters Want Focus at Home

New polling is raising fresh questions about how much appetite Americans actually have for an expansionist foreign policy agenda, even as the Trump administration’s rhetoric has sharpened following the US operation in Venezuela.

According to a Reuters-Ipsos poll cited in the report, Americans were roughly split on the Venezuela operation itself. But the deeper findings point to broad resistance to a longer-term involvement: large majorities expressed concern about the US getting too involved in Venezuela, and respondents opposed ideas like temporarily governing the country or controlling its oil.

The analysis also highlights how unpopular the broader concept of US dominance in the region appears to be. In the Reuters-Ipsos survey, only a minority of Americans supported a US policy of “dominating affairs in the Western Hemisphere,” and support among Republicans was far from overwhelming.

The piece notes that these results line up with earlier polling on other expansion-related ideas, including taking Greenland. Multiple surveys previously showed Americans opposed US efforts to take Greenland by wide margins, including opposition to pressuring Denmark to cede control. Another idea that polled poorly was making Canada the 51st state.

A key theme in the reporting is that many Americans appear more focused on domestic priorities than foreign policy. The analysis points to polling suggesting voters want more attention on affordability and lowering costs, and that foreign policy is not ranking as a top priority for large segments of the public unless there’s a clear, immediate threat.

Overall, the takeaway is that while the administration may see strategic value in projecting power and influence abroad, public sentiment — including within the Republican base — appears cautious about major foreign entanglements, especially at a time when cost-of-living pressures remain a dominant concern.

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