On June 18, President Donald Trump brushed off claims that his loyal MAGA supporters are divided over the possibility of a U.S. military strike on Iran, as Israel and Iran exchange fire daily.
Speaking on the White House South Lawn, Trump declared, “My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m more in love with them, more than they even were at election time.”
Trump Dismisses Talk of MAGA Split on Iran
He acknowledged some dissatisfaction but stressed wider backing, saying, “I may have some people that are a little bit unhappy now, but I have some people that are very happy, and I have people outside of the base that can’t believe that this is happening.”
Asked about striking Iran to block its nuclear program, Trump kept his cards close: “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.” Reuters noted on June 17 that Trump has long opposed Iran’s nuclear ambitions, a point he reiterated:
“I’ve been saying for 20 years, maybe longer, that Iran can not have a nuclear weapon.”
GOP Faces Rare Internal Divide
The idea of U.S. involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, fueled by Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, has sparked unusual tension within the MAGA movement, according to Politico’s June 18 report.
Figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Tucker Carlson argue against military action, saying it betrays Trump’s America First pledge to avoid foreign wars, echoing his 2016 campaign criticism of the 2003 Iraq invasion, per CNN’s debate archives.
Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA and Steve Bannon, while loyal to Trump, share similar worries, as reported by The Hill on June 16.
On the other hand, Vice President JD Vance, posting on X on June 17, recognized concerns about “foreign entanglement” but backed Trump, saying his focus is “using American military to accomplish the American people’s goals.”
This rift reflects the GOP’s shift toward isolationism under Trump, as Wayne Lesperance, president of New England College, told AP on June 18.
Testing Trump’s Political Base
Trump emphasized his supporters’ unity, stating, “My supporters are for me. My supporters are America First and Make America Great Again. My supporters don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Yet the Middle East crisis challenges the coalition he built on skepticism of overseas conflicts, per a June 2025 Pew Research report.
Matthew Bartlett, a former State Department official, told The Washington Post on June 18 that “Donald Trump changed the direction of the Republican Party” on global military roles.
While Vance and others rally behind him, escalation risks alienating parts of his base, Bartlett noted: “Chances of escalation are dramatically increased and that certainly has ramifications with the MAGA coalition.”
