Donald Trump is trying to stave off a MAGA civil war over America’s involvement in the Middle East that threatens to tear apart his conservative base.
After the president abruptly left the G7 in Canada to meet with his national security team in Washington, the White House went into overdrive to assuage “America First” die-hards who are angered that the U.S. could be dragged into Israel’s battle against Iran.
“We know exactly where the so-called “Supreme Leader” is hiding,“ he posted on Truth Social on Wednesday, calling for his ”unconditional surrender.”
“He is an easy target, but is safe there – we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.”
As Trump tried to calm nerves, Vice President J.D. Vance took to social media to talk up the “remarkable restraint” the president had shown in trying to keep American troops and citizens safe.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared on Fox News to assure people there had been no change in the military’s defense posture in the region.
On social media, Trump’s rapid response team posted video after video to demonstrate that he “has always been consistent” on Iran.
And at the White House, his communications fired off a press release documenting 15 times that Trump stated Iran “cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon”.
The messaging efforts point to the dilemma Trump faces as he tries to balance his support for Israel with ongoing demands from within his base to avoid another war in the Middle East.
Having come to office promising no more “endless wars,” Trump must now decide whether to help Israel destroy a deeply buried Iranian nuclear enrichment facility at Fordo, north of Tehran, using a 30-pound U.S. bomb known as a “bunker buster”.
But such a move would risk any remaining chance of the nuclear disarmament deal Trump has been pursuing and further divide the very base that got him elected.
“We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” Trump said on Wednesday. “Iran had good sky trackers and other defensive equipment, but it doesn’t compare to American made, conceived and manufactured ‘stuff’. Nobody does it better than the good ol’ USA.”
Others in MAGA, however, are not convinced of America’s ongoing role. Carlson, a former Fox News host, entered the fray last week, calling Trump complicit and suggesting that the administration “drop Israel [and] let them fight their own wars.”
This led to Trump suggesting on Monday that he was irrelevant now that he no longer had his own television show, which in turn, led to Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene siding with Carlson.
“Tucker Carlson is one of my favorite people. He fiercely loves his wife, children, and our country. Since being fired by the neocon network Fox News, he has more popularity and viewers than ever before,” she said.
Turning Point USA leader Charlie Kirk had earlier warned the issue could cause “a massive schism in MAGA and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.”
MAGA activist Jack Posobiec agreed, saying that “a direct strike on Iran right now would disastrously split the Trump coalition.”
But Vance’s lengthy post on X sought to de-escalate tensions. Noting the “crazy stuff” that was being put out on social media, he said that Trump had been “amazingly consistent, over 10 years, that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
“He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,” Vance added. “That decision ultimately belongs to the president. And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy.”
The post Trump Frantically Tries To Stop MAGA Civil War Over Iran appeared first on The Daily Beast.
