A foreign-policy operation is always a gamble. But sometimes the dice bounce your way.
This week, CNN senior analyst Harry Enten pointed to post–Maduro raid polling that he said is good news for President Trump: the numbers are “way up,” with support rising sharply after the operation.
Enten highlighted a CNN poll showing U.S. support for the military ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro moving from 21% pre-operation to 37% post-operation—a 16-point jump—after a raid that captured Maduro without leaving troops behind.
“It’s been a dramatic change in a direction that I think the President of the United States will like because what are we looking at here? Okay, US military ousting Maduro. Pre-ousting… What you saw was a clear plurality of Americans opposed at 47%. Just 21% support!” Enten said.
“Come over to this side on screen after the ousting. Look at that. The support through the roof now. We’re talking about 37%, well within margin of error right here of opposition 38%. It turns out Americans like what they deem to be successful foreign policy operations. And in this case they view the ousting of Maduro, at least up to this point, as a success one. And therefore, the support way up.”
“Americans like success,” Enten reiterated.
Watch the clip below:
Trump has to like the dramatic change in the polls on Maduro's ouster. Support for it is through the roof (up 16 pts) vs. pre-ouster.
We saw a similar rise in support over time for the Iran strikes in mid-2025.
Americans like what they deem as successful military operations. pic.twitter.com/ITTETJR6L0
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) January 6, 2026
An audacious overnight operation in Caracas — complete with strikes on military installations — ended with Nicolás Maduro in U.S. custody. He was quickly moved offshore to a U.S. Navy ship, then flown to New York to face prosecution.
An impressive show of strength on the world stage by both the Trump Administration and the U.S. Military.
