Posted on 06/18/2025 4:57:45 AM PDT by RandFan
The prospect of U.S. involvement in an increasingly volatile conflict between Israel and Iran has cleaved clear divisions within the MAGA movement – a rarity over the course of President Trump’s decade-long political career.
Top Trump allies have pleaded their case in recent weeks directly to the president and on social media for why the U.S. should fully avoid engaging in any dispute between Iran and Israel. On another side, other Trump allies are arguing it is in the president’s interest to take a more aggressive posture toward Iran.
Some have suggested the schism could fracture the president’s coalition. Sources who spoke with The Hill downplayed that notion, arguing Trump is the ultimate arbiter of what constitutes “America first.”
Here is who falls into each camp.
Advocating for non-intervention
A vocal group of influential MAGA voices have been banging the drum in recent days to argue against any kind of U.S involvement in a conflict with Iran.
Those figures have made the case that targeting Iran would contradict Trump’s “America First” foreign policy rhetoric and would echo the mistakes of the George W. Bush administration, which Trump has sharply criticized.
“This is exactly the same pitch as the Iraq war,” former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon said on Tucker Carlson’s show on X.
Carlson has also been an outspoken opponent of U.S. involvement in the Middle East, going as far as to call out by name individuals he claimed were “warmongers” in the president’s ear.
The former Fox News host voiced frustrations after Israel late last week launched missile strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities and killed multiple top Iranian military officials. Carlson wrote that Trump was “complicit in the act of war” and said what occurs next in the region “will define Donald Trump’s presidency.”
Those comments did not sit well with Trump, who derided Carlson as “kooky” in a social media post.
Coming to Carlson’s defense was a typically staunch Trump ally: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.). She posted on X that Carlson’s opposition to foreign wars did not make him “kooky.”
“Americans want cheap gas, groceries, bills, and housing. They want affordable insurance, safe communities, and good education for their children. They want a government that works on these issues,” Greene posted on Tuesday.
“Considering Americans pay for the entire government and government salaries with their hard earned tax dollars, this is where our focus should be,” Greene added. “Not going into another foreign war.”
you should know then that ending it quickly is not going to happen as a Vietnam vet (it’s before my time) but that conflict lasted many years and drained much resources
There is no splintering amongst Trump allies. There are many media influencers who claimed to be MAGA, that are showing themselves for who they are, Tucker being one of them. Tucker was never MAGA, he was a guy without an audience after he got fired in 2023, who conveniently adopted MAGA to restart his media career. He was always a chameleon.
There is a vast difference between having differing views and concerns on the subject, and critiquing incessantly, sometimes savagely, President Trump, who they once supposedly supported. Implying Trump is a warmonger would qualify. Elon, Robert Barnes, Rich Baris, Mark Mitchell at Rasmussen, Hodge Twins, and many others also qualify. These people were not responsible for MAGA, but think they are. I voted for Trump for many reasons (3x), but one of the main reasons was because I wanted him in the chair making these types of decisions. After 10 years, I think he deserves a little trust and patience. The man has someone throwing roadblocks in front of him everyday. The country really doesn’t deserve him.
Let’s stay out of this, for now. Let it simmer, let Israel do what they need to do, with our “emotional” support. If totally necessary we can revisit the need for involvement. I pray we do not ever need to do that though.
Still pushing your fake poll, I see.
A real poll came out with overwhelming maga support of Israel.
The premise of this article is that Republicans are “splintered” with regards to involvement in the Iran attacks.
Democrats and media can’t understand not being in lock step on every issue.
Debate is healthy for our Republic!
I’m sure you’re a decent and principled fellow as you constantly raise the “foreign entanglement” argument which many agree with as do I. But there comes a time when issues and matters that stand on a far higher moral level become so apparent that we must bend in order to meet those challenges.
The reality is Trump owns MAGA completely. Just ask Rubio, Cruz, DeSantis and Musk. Bannon and Carlson will lose 90% of their audiences if they keep up fighting Trump on this issue. In the end Trump will limit our involvement to bombing Iran. He has no interest in taking over Iran or nation building.
The little thug used to say "Shadd-up Shuttin-up" to Bugs
It seems to me that our United States is Stay-out, stayin-out"
So is the Tucker wing really just mad that President Trump isn't "shuttin-up" (violates his nature) or do they expect him to intevene against Israel?
Either we destroy Iran's ability to produce weapons grade material, or we let Israel topple the regime. Pick your poison. There are reports that Iran has sleeper cells in the USA already. So you may not have a choice in the matter if the regime lives on and releases its cells. With Israel controlling the air and the USA backing (not with troops) the Pahlavi interim government of Iran will eventually have a chance at a government of their choosing. But of course, Kirk and Carlson are against that too! No more dead troops, no participation, and no regime change (as if there is a choice on our part). Remember, if we tell Israel to stop no regime change, we just fully involve ourselves in the war, and Israel will want guarantees other than platitudes from Trump and promises from the used car salesman Witkoff.
Don't like Carlson; he became uninteresting not long after he started his new program. It is FOXNEWS light and like Hannity he is past his best if used by date. Kirk is great, does fantastic work with TPA. Smart as he is, he is no military analyst and we should not look to him for our diplomatic or military strategy.
“America First” we are 24-48 hours away from 37 trillion dollars in national debt.
I got into this “Conservative” thing as a teenager because government was spending too much money and increasing the national debt.
I guess Id rather be labeled left professor than refer to myself as a Hillary Hemorrhoid
That is correct. And split the country big time. I can’t tell you how it makes you feel when you are wearing the uniform and walking through an airport while people curse you, sometimes even try to spit on you. If I wasn’t afraid of court martial, I would have decked a few of these 130 pound wussies.
Anything by this author is laughable, as are your comments. Heck, he even looks like the joker without his makeup on. 🤣
For some reason folks think Trump is pondering occupation of Iran…. When you hear “endless” wars…. Thats not the vibe I am getting. If we help Israel it will long range destruction of infrastructure. In that aspect there is no difference.
The MAGA people referred to seem to be ideologically driven. The reason Trump is so effective is that he is not driven by ideology but by pragmatics. Ideology binds one and limits one’s choices, which is probably not a good thing in a dynamic changing environment.
We saw it with the onset of the tariff actions. Trump publicly staked out an extreme position, then began negotiating back to agreement. The liberals hooted that he was “chickening out” when in fact he was doing his deal-making thing. We may be seeing it again as he refines and adapts the deportation struggle to temporarily accommodate American businesses whose lifeblood is illegal employees. The media whoops “TACO!” for what appears to be “surrender to big business” when in fact he is simply working with what should end up a temporary situation.
Here, he has chosen to stay out, preserve forces, keep his powder dry, and when it looks like the war could be turned toward final with a decisive stroke (bunker-buster bombing of Iran ’s nuclear industry) which only the U.S. can deliver, prepare for it.
Objections based on “but you said,” or, “that’s not America First,” illustrate Emerson’s observation that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
“For some reason folks think Trump is pondering occupation of Iran”
And yet there doesn’t seem to be a similar concern about Yemen. It puzzles me. Fighting the proxies doesn’t bother people, but fighting the puppet-masters directly puts their knickers in a twist.
I’m a ‘no new wars’thumper
But if PDJT says this is needed, I’ll accept that vs mullahs w nuke or the possiblity of mullahs w nukes!
“Israel is strong enough to fight this one without our being directly involvedIsrael needs our B2 and the GBU57 MOP it’s the only weapon that can strike the centrifuges under the solid mountain of rock above it. This GBU was designed with that exact mission and Iranian target it’s primary function. The history of the weapon is public knowledge.
We either fly the B2 for them, or give them the weapons and they can use a cargo plane to drop it Vietnam war daisy cutter style. The bomb is INS/GPS guided it.just needs to be over the target not wwii dropped with bombsights and Bombardier.
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