President Donald Trump’s phone is apparently blowing up, with bitterly divided MAGA factions vying for his ear as he weighs his next move amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
The president has been exchanging calls and texts with Republican allies in recent days as he finds himself in precarious political territory on an issue that has deeply polarized his coalition. The fierce debate has pitted isolationists such as Tucker Carlson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene against hawks like Senator Lindsey Graham and Fox News host Mark Levin.
According to new reporting from CNN, as Trump prepared to leave the G7 Summit in Canada a day early, he sought guidance from Graham in a phone call. The South Carolina lawmaker reportedly told Trump to go “all in” to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Greene told CNN she’s also been texting with Trump, but wouldn’t disclose what they talked about. She said the anti-interventionist bloc of the pressure campaign, including the likes of Carlson, Steve Bannon, and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, “have all been very vocal for days now, urging, ‘Let’s be America first. Let’s stay out.’”
“We have to let him know what we think,” she added.
Senator Josh Hawley, who is also opposed to intervention in the conflict, said he also spoke to Trump on the phone. He said Trump “wisely” refrained from discussing offensive action on Iran.
Senator Ted Cruz said on Fox News that he had spoken to the president on Sunday, “and just told him, I said, your leadership has been so critical on this, and he made clear Iran is not getting a nuclear weapon and he is standing with Israel.”
The issue is furiously dividing Trump’s base in part because he campaigned on ending foreign wars. He claimed in his inaugural address that under his leadership, “our power will stop all wars.” Yet as Israel and Iran continue to trade strikes, it seems increasingly likely that Trump will get involved.
He initially said the U.S. was not involved in Israel’s offensive, but he’s since shown support for the strikes, and on Tuesday called for Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.” He also wrote that “we now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran,” creating confusion with his use of “we.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had said Monday the country’s air force had control of Tehran’s skies. Trump, like Netanyahu, has said Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear bomb.
In the weeks before Israel’s surprise attack last week, Trump had grown frustrated with the stalled attempts to reach a deal with Iran, and had begun to believe he was being strung along, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Tensions within his base are increasingly playing out in the public eye as figures on each side of the debate spar on social media.
Carlson last week accused Trump of being “complicit” in Israel’s attacks, prompting Trump to tell reporters on Monday, “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying,” and to point out that the former Fox News host no longer has a TV show.
Laura Loomer, a MAGA influencer with Trump’s ear, on Monday told her followers to aggregate screenshots of any right-wingers “s–t talking” Trump. A day later she said she was facing antisemitic attacks.
“You get to see who your real friends are in the conservative media landscape very fast. The reality is, you can’t make friends with them,” she posted soon after. “I’ve learned it’s best to keep everyone at arm’s length.”
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