Reluctant MAGA demands swift results from Trump in Iran
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A plume of smoke rises over Tehran after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Photo: Mahsa / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images
The America First wing of the MAGA coalition wants swift results from Saturday's Iran strikes, often invoking the late Charlie Kirk's opposition to foreign wars.
The big picture: President Trump's invasion of Venezuela to capture Nicolás Maduro exposed a rift with some in his base, and a prolonged skirmish in the Middle East could exacerbate those tensions ahead of a difficult midterm election for Republicans.
- Many in the MAGA sphere said Trump had campaigned on no new wars. but they signaled a swift and victorious resolution in Iran could ease their concerns.
- Trump repeatedly said he preferred a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear weapons ambitious but never ruled out using force.
- The White House did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
What they're saying: Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of Kirk's show, said on a Saturday stream that Kirk opposed regime change but was a "realist."
- The attack wasn't "properly sold" to Americans, Kovlet said, but he emphasized "we always knew" Trump would launch an "aggressive attack" if necessary.
Blake Neff, another producer of Kirk's show, wrote that some of his "right-leaning friends" messaged him things like "F*** this" and "This is extremely depressing."
- He continued, "If this war is a swift, easy, and decisive victory, most of them will get over it. But if the war is anything else, there will be a lot of anger."
Catch up quick: Vice President JD Vance told The Washington Post Thursday there is "no chance" the strikes would result in the kind of years-long conflict he criticized.
- Several of Trump's top advisers had privately warned him about the risk of becoming entangled in a prolonged conflict, Axios' Barak Ravid and Dave Lawler reported.
Right-wing activist Jack Posobiec shared that Kirk emphasized younger Americans "are far more interested in domestic policy" than international conflicts, adding, "we can't forget that in a midterm year."
- "We're now at war with Iran," conservative influencer Robby Starbuck wrote, "so as long as that's the case, I hope it's quick, punishing and ruthless so we can be done quickly and get our troops home."
Zoom out: If the Iran mission "goes south," it risks Trump's foreign policy credibility and legacy, commentator Michael Knowles said.
- However, success would be "the greatest foreign policy accomplishment of any president in our lifetime since the end of the Cold War."
Friction point: Some in the MAGA orbit were less measured.
- Tucker Carlson reportedly described the attack as "disgusting and evil" to ABC News' Jonathan Karl.
- Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who resigned after a hostile split with Trump, called the attack a "betrayal" from a president "who we all believed was different and said no more."
- In a separate response, she wrote, "We voted for America First and ZERO wars."
Go deeper: Trump confronts rare MAGA purity tests on Iran and immigration
