MAGA unites around Trump over Iran strikes — for now
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Trump's MAGA movement appeared to largely coalesce late Saturday in supporting his decision to strike Iranian nuclear sites, despite its bitter infighting recently over the prospect of the U.S. intervening in the Israel-Iran war.
Why it matters: Skepticism of foreign entanglements is a foundational pillar of Trump's "America First" credo — but so is support for the president.
- In the immediate aftermath of Trump's announcement of the strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, loyalty to him won out — but there were warnings that MAGA's support could wane, especially if the U.S. gets drawn further into war.
What they're saying: "Iran gave President Trump no choice," Charlie Kirk, a voice for non-interventionism, posted on X. "Iran decided to forego diplomacy in pursuit of a bomb. This is a surgical strike, operated perfectly. President Trump acted with prudence and decisiveness."
- "For the next few hours spare us the arm-chair quarterbacking and instead trust our Commander in Chief," Kirk added.
- "Donald Trump is going down in history as the most influential President in US history," wrote Laura Loomer, the right-wing activist who had advocated for a U.S. strike. "Shame on those of you who called him a warmonger. He just saved us all from a nuclear holocaust."
Other leading MAGA figures said Trump would still need to convince many followers that the strikes were necessary.
- "He's got to talk to MAGA. There's a lot of MAGA that's not happy about this," former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said on his "War Room" podcast Saturday.
- "I believe he will get MAGA on board, all of it, but he's got to explain exactly and go through this."
The intrigue: It remained unclear how much Iran's nuclear program had been set back by the strikes, despite Trump saying the U.S. had "totally obliterated" the nuclear development sites.
- The attacks focused particularly on Iran's underground facility at Fordow, which was vulnerable only to American "bunker busting" weaponry.
- Iran is also widely expected to hit back, potentially at U.S. forces in the Middle East, raising the possibility that U.S. forces could have to respond to counterattacks and more fully engage in the conflict.
Still, support for Trump was the common theme among several of MAGA's most vocal voices in the hours after news broke.
- Many of them viewed the U.S. attack on Iran as a one-off focused on eliminating its nuclear capabilities, rather than the opening salvo of a regime change campaign in that nation.
There were, however, some warnings for Trump.
- "We'll support the president's judgment," one MAGA media figure who had advocated for restraint texted Axios. "Decisive and then it's over. But if it gets messier than this, it will play out longer. But we trust the president wants peace."
MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec texted Axios "absolutely" when asked whether support for Trump's decision might heal, at least temporarily, the deep divisions within MAGA over U.S. foreign policy.
- Those divisions were underscored by a viral interview Tucker Carlson did this week with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that devolved into name-calling, as Carlson argued against U.S. involvement in Iran and Cruz argued for it.
- "This is a huge divide" in the movement, one White House ally told Axios.
- "Some people just trust Trump and will go with it. For others it's a betrayal of a major plank of Trump's re-elect. Even if this is one and done, there will be concern he's inviting a major terror response that will suck us into a future conflict."
