President Donald Trump’s decision to launch joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran has widened the growing divide in the MAGA movement, with conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson publicly challenging the war’s rationale and goals.
Trump defended the operation as necessary to neutralize “imminent threats,” while saying he was not ruling out “boots on the ground,” a stance that intensified criticism from political commentators who argue that the war contradicts long-standing “America First” pledges.
Why It Matters
Early on Saturday, the White House launched strikes as part of what it described as a broader campaign against Iran’s nuclear ambitions, missiles and support for proxy military groups across the Middle East.
Iran has retaliated across the region, resulting in U.S. military casualties and underscoring both the risks of escalation and the political costs at home.
Multiple figures in the Make America Great Again movement have spoken out against Trump’s foreign policy positions, namely his support for Israel, arguing that it goes against his America First campaign promises.
What To Know
U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and targeted missile and naval capabilities—the opening of a conflict that has since seen Iran fire drones and missiles at Israel and U.S. targets in the region.
On X, Greene, a Georgia Republican who left Congress earlier this year after previously breaking with the president on several issues, wrote, “There are 93 million people in Iran, let them liberate themselves.”
“It’s always America Last,” Greene continued in the lengthy X post. “But it feels like the worst betrayal this time because it comes from the very man and the admin who we all believed was different.”
Carlson, a staunch Trump ally and former Fox News host, said on Monday’s episode of his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show: “This is Israel’s war. This is not the United States’ war. This war is not being waged on behalf of American national security objectives to make the United States safer or richer.”
Commenting on the criticism he had received from MAGA members, Trump told journalist Rachael Bade: “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing—every aspect of it.” He added that the war with Iran was a detour necessary for American security.
Trump has said the objective of the strikes is to ensure Tehran never acquires a nuclear weapon. In June, the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran that Trump said at the time had obliterated parts of its nuclear program.
Administration briefers told congressional staff they did not have intelligence that Iran planned a pre-emptive strike on U.S. forces, according to the Associated Press—a disclosure that fueled criticism from MAGA-aligned figures already skeptical of the mission’s stated triggers and endgame.
What People Are Saying
Erik Prince, a Trump ally and former Navy SEAL who founded the private military contractor Blackwater, said on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast: “I don’t think this was in America’s interests. It’s going to uncork a significant can of worms and chaos and destruction in Iran now.”
He added: “I don’t see how this is in keeping with the president’s MAGA commitment. I am disappointed.”
Megyn Kelly, a conservative commentator and the host of The Megyn Kelly Show, said on Monday’s episode of the podcast: “There’s nothing unpatriotic or unsupportive of one’s conservatism or general adherence to MAGA-type principles to say, ‘I would like to be better convinced that this is worth the sacrifice of American blood and treasure.’ That’s where I am. That’s where a lot of people are.”
Vice President JD Vance said on Fox News: “There’s just no way that Donald Trump is going to allow this country to get into a multiyear conflict with no clear end in sight and no clear objective. … He has defined that objective as ‘Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon and has to commit long term to never trying to rebuild a nuclear capability.’ It’s pretty clear. It’s pretty simple, and I think that means that we’re not going to get into the problems that we’ve had with Iraq and Afghanistan.”
What Happens Next
Congress is set to debate bipartisan war powers resolutions designed to limit operations in Iran, while the administration continues pressing its case that the campaign will degrade Iran’s missile capacity and prevent nuclear advancement.
Trump has suggested a four- or five-week timeline to meet objectives, but he has also suggested the operation may run longer, and defense officials said further U.S. casualties are expected as Iran and its proxies respond.
In a polarized era, the center is dismissed as bland. At Newsweek, ours is different: The Courageous Center—it’s not “both sides,” it’s sharp, challenging and alive with ideas. We follow facts, not factions. If that sounds like the kind of journalism you want to see thrive, we need you.
When you become a Newsweek Member, you support a mission to keep the center strong and vibrant. Members enjoy: Ad-free browsing, exclusive content and editor conversations. Help keep the center courageous. Join today.
