The situation around Venezuela has Americans asking for more information.
Across party lines, large majorities believe the administration needs to explain U.S. intentions for any action and that it has not yet done so clearly.
Meanwhile, what Americans are hearing from the White House about inflation this, they say, is not how they actually feel at home: price rise And deterioration economic views.
In the meantime, Americans are not thinking about Venezuela as the main threat to the United States. Instead, more people see the secondary and they are largely against it potential hostilities.
Thus, the idea of ​​potential US military action in Venezuela is widely frowned upon. It also did not receive overwhelming support from Republicans.
Three in four Americans also say Trump will need congressional approval before the outbreak of hostilities in Venezuela, including just over half of the Republicans.
Only one in five Americans have heard much about the US military buildup. This may be another expression of a feeling of limited information about the target.
Current military attacks on boats drug suspects are divisive – just over half approve, driven by near-universal support among Republicans – although Americans overall overwhelmingly say they should see evidence of drugs.
However, most Americans do not think that US military action in Venezuela will change the amount of drugs coming into the US.
Taking a closer look at the President's GOP: MAGA Republicans are for real more support potential military action than non-MAGA ones.
In context, this is similar to what we have seen for a long time on many issues, including foreign policy, in which this part of the base is generally deferential to the president. (For example, MAGA also supported explosion in Iran months ago.) Most of them say that the President has explained things and, in turn, are more likely to view any action in Venezuela as reducing the amount of drugs coming into the US.
But many of those who oppose military action, including those in the Republican Party, may also view it in terms of issue priorities. They are more likely to judge the administration on what it does with economy than those who are in favor. And most of those who judge him on economics think he doesn't spend enough time on it.
Here's what Americans say about the economy
There is a disconnect between how Americans hear the White House describe the economy and how they feel themselves.
Most Americans say Trump describes things are better with prices and inflation than they really are.
(This includes four in 10 Republicans who say the same about Trump. They are also among those most likely to say prices are rising.)
It comes as ratings for the overall economy continue to remain weak – as they have been for years – and this week fell to their lowest point in 2025.
In general, the majority of the population still believes that prices are rising.
As we head into the holiday season, this economic dissatisfaction is gripping a majority of Americans who believe President Trump's policies are driving up the prices of food and grocery items in particular.
So the gap appears to continue to put pressure on the president's ratings.
Americans judge the president differently. Those who say they judge Trump most on what he does on the economy and inflation overwhelmingly say he doesn't spend enough time on it.
This, in turn, continued to fuel his approval of measures to reduce inflation and the economy for several months. That trend continues this week, with scores for the overall economy and his ratings on economic management and inflation hitting their lowest in a year.
More than two-thirds disapprove of his approach to inflation.
It does particularly poorly on the economy among people who are mostly judge him about it.
Among independent experts, his ratings for economic management and his ratings overall also fell to their lowest in a year. It has also caused his overall approval rating to decline over time, which has now dropped to its lowest point for his second term after a steady decline in recent months.
The president is doing a little better on immigration, riding on continued broad support from the Republican Party, as he has for months.
The decline in the president's overall approval rating is linked to people's economic priorities in this way: Even among those who voted for him in 2024, disapproval is more likely today when people judge him primarily on the economy.
Deportation
The administration's deportation program continues to divide the country, but its support is bolstered by strong Republican approval.
Most—especially those outside the Republican Party—continue to believe that ICE detention more people than necessary.
However, many believe the deportation program undermines rather than strengthens the economy.
One possible reason: A third of the country (who tend to live in cities and suburbs) say it is making their community worse, and they feel like people in their area are staying home more as a result of the program.
Epstein files
Americans, across party lines, believe it is important that Epstein's files be made public.
The vast majority of Americans believe they will contain damaging information about powerful people. Most say it's too early to tell if what they say is true. However, in general, many people believe that the information will be true rather than false.
Republicans are more satisfied with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein case than they were in the summer. (The poll was taken just after Trump said Congress should vote to release the files, which they did shortly after.) Today, most others are not satisfied.
But the Republican president's supporters say the issues surrounding the cases are unimportant to how they view him. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans say it doesn't affect their assessment of Trump overall. (Independents and Democrats, however, place much more weight on the issue in this regard.)
The CBS News/YouGov poll was conducted using a nationally representative sample of 2,489 U.S. adults surveyed between November 19 and November 21, 2025. The sample was weighted to be representative of adults nationwide based on gender, age, race, and education, based on the U.S. Census and Current Population Survey, as well as the 2024 presidential election. The error is ±2.4 points.
