President Donald Trump‘s evolving position on Iran is fueling a political clash between Republican national security hawks rallying behind Israel and a MAGA-aligned base deeply skeptical of U.S. involvement in another Middle Eastern war.
In recent days, Trump has shifted between calling for diplomacy to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and backing military support for Israel as it defends against a barrage of Iranian missile attacks.
From the Group of Seven summit on Monday, he urged the evacuation of Tehran, signaling that more military assaults on Iran could be coming “immediately” and that the window for negotiations has closed. He left the summit in Canada early to address the Iran-Israel war at the White House with his national security team.
“Iran should have signed the ‘deal’ I told them to sign,” Trump wrote. “What a shame, and waste of human life. Simply stated, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. I said it over and over again! Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!”
Pro-Israel Trump allies immediately applauded Trump for his perspective.
“Thank you, @POTUS!” Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) wrote on X. “Bombs away.”
Behind closed doors and on social media, Trump has been pulled in opposing directions by allies offering conflicting strategies on Iran, even as his administration pursued a deal to curb Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Vocal allies from the sidelines, such as former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, accused Trump of being “complicit” in Israel’s strike on Iran and cautioned that the escalating conflict could drag the U.S. into war. Carlson urged the president to “drop Israel. Let them fight their own wars. … What happens next will define Donald Trump’s presidency.”
When asked about Carlson’s remarks on Monday, Trump dismissed them, saying, “I don’t know what Tucker Carlson is saying. Let him get a television network and say it so people listen.”
Later, Trump fired back on Truth Social, mocking Carlson and writing, “Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”
In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched its most extensive military assault to date against Iran, disrupting the administration’s efforts to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Tehran. Over the weekend, Trump stressed that the U.S. is not involved in Israel’s military strikes against Iran but said that “it’s possible we could get involved.”
Trump’s rise was driven in large part by his strong opposition to foreign interventions and his fierce criticism of the lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts that began under former President George W. Bush and continued through former President Barack Obama’s administration, while championing a nationalist “America First” platform.
Now, Trump is working to redefine that doctrine, writing in another post on social media on Monday evening that “AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
For many of Trump’s supporters, Israel’s escalating military campaign represents a serious test of his noninterventionist stance, stoking fears that the U.S. could be drawn into a broader conflict through retaliatory strikes by Iran or its proxy forces against U.S. personnel in the region. At the same time, some argue that Iran’s regime is on the brink of collapse, viewing the moment as a potentially historic opportunity.
This tension comes as Trump reportedly rejected an Israeli proposal to assassinate Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, a move U.S. officials told Reuters could have dangerously escalated tensions in the region.
Everyone is finding out who are real America First/MAGA and who were fake and just said it bc it was popular.
Unfortunately the list of fakes are becoming quite long and exposed themselves quickly.
Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war…
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) June 15, 2025
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on Sunday slammed what she called “fake” MAGA supporters who back U.S. involvement in Israel’s war with Iran.
“Everyone is finding out who are real America First/MAGA and who were fake and just said it [because] it was popular,” Greene wrote in a post on X. “Unfortunately the list of fakes are becoming quite long and exposed themselves quickly.”
Saagar Enjeti, a right-wing populist and co-host of the YouTube show Breaking Points, charged that Trump had betrayed the “America First” isolationist wing of his support base.
“Trump has now praised Israel’s strike, affirmed US material support, and Israeli media is reporting his public opposition was a disinformation campaign to mislead Iran,” Enjeti said.
“So in other words, Trump, not Israel, has made a mockery of all of us who wanted to avoid this war,” he added.
Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, asked his 5 million followers on X whether the U.S. should “get involved in Israel’s war against Iran.” Over 489,266 people voted, with the vast majority opposing U.S. involvement.
In contrast, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) reaffirmed a more cautious approach. Speaking to reporters, he emphasized strong support for Israel and providing arms for its self-defense, but he firmly rejected deploying U.S. troops.
“It’s one thing to provide them with arms for their own self-defense, which we have done and should do,” Hawley said. “But I can’t imagine a world in which we would send United States troops, in which we would be involved in any kinetic activity, as the defense people like to say, there in the region, unless it’s just defending our own installations.”
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich offered a different perspective, arguing that the only successful outcome of the Israel-Iran conflict is replacing Iran’s theocratic regime with a secular, peaceful government.
“Any outcome which leaves the mullahs and their dictatorship in charge guarantees continuing Iranian support for terrorism and a new even more secret effort to get a nuclear weapon,” Gingrich said in a post on X. “A truce leaving the mullahs in charge guarantees more terrorism and a future war.”
The replacement of the theocratic dictatorship in Iran with a secular government committed to peace with neighbors, prosperity for Iranians and a non-nuclear future is the only outcome of the current Israeli-Iranian war that would be a success. Any outcome which leaves the…
— Newt Gingrich (@newtgingrich) June 15, 2025
Laura Loomer, a right-wing activist and Trump ally, said on X that regime change in Iran is justified if it reflects the people’s will, and “America First” supporters should back Israel’s efforts to stop nuclear threats.
“Why do all of these people who claim to be America First want to control the will of the Israeli people and the Iranian people?” Loomer asked. “If you’re truly America First, shouldn’t you have no problem with Israel assisting the Iranian people in securing their freedom.”
A Trump foreign policy adviser said Republicans remain firmly pro-Israel and that Trump has not shifted on that, but he acknowledged that the real challenge is convincing skeptical MAGA supporters to back that position.
ISRAEL DESTROYS AT LEAST TWO RARE ANTIQUATED F-14 TOMCATS IN STRIKE ON TEHRAN AIRPORT
“It’s complicated because Trump has long pledged to end ‘forever wars’ and you can definitely see the ‘America First’ base fractioning a bit,” the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Yet, Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East, so it’s really like comparing apples and bananas when you look at other foreign interventions.”
“The challenge is not a question of how to approach the situation but more of how do we sell it to the isolationist crowd,” the person added.
