President Donald Trump needs to explain a lot more about US operations off the coast of Venezuela, because the majority of Americans don't understand the mission and so they're against any military action, according to a new poll.
About one-third of all deployed United States warships are now gathered in the Caribbean not far from Venezuela, according to Fox News, but a CBS News poll released Sunday indicates most Americans don't understand why those ships are there.
The ships are accompanied by US Marines and fighter aircraft along with helicopters.
The poll shows 70-percent of those asked say they would oppose military action, 30-percent say they would favor it, but the president needs to explain, respondents say.
That is, 97-percent of Democrats, 86-percent of Independents and 64-percent of Republicans say Mr. Trump should tell America why we're massing troops off the coast of a South American nation.
The US has been targeting and destroying boats the White House says are running drugs out of the area, and the US State Department as of Monday is designating the extensive drug distribution network known as the Cartel de los Soles as an international terrorist organization -- and the US is designating Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as the de facto leader of that cartel.
Just over half those in the poll approve of attacking boats carrying drugs, but another 75-percent say the US should prove that drugs are on those boats.
On Sunday, Fox News reported that the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning that heightened military activity in the Caribbean is making security very hard to guarantee, so several international airlines have cancelled flights in the area.