The MAGA rift over Iran is not having a significant impact on President Donald Trump’s decision-making on military strikes, sources inside the White House and beyond tell the Washington Examiner.
The brewing conflict in the Middle East has pitted neoconservatives against “America First” loyalists as Trump weighs joining Israeli efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program by force. Trump has not made a decision yet on intervention — he has given himself two weeks to find a diplomatic solution — but the war has become the latest test of Trump’s foreign policy doctrine and has even provoked criticism from allies who oppose foreign entanglements.
Trump has bristled at Tucker Carlson and other noninterventionists, declaring that “America First” means whatever he decides it means. Still, senior White House advisers downplayed the idea that the criticism is influencing his thinking in the Situation Room, telling the Washington Examiner that domestic politics will not be a major factor in Trump’s calculus.
“Literally, this is deja vu,” one senior White House official said. “Trump in 2020 killed Soleimani, so a military strike on Iran, and Tucker, who at the time was more prominent because he had the 8 p.m. show on Fox, flipped a s***, and everything just went on as normal.”
The official said Trumpism has become a “Rorschach test” for allies, with defense hawks such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and dovish lawmakers including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) seeing “what they want to see.”
“Sometimes he does things that please some people, and sometimes he does things that please other people,” the official continued, noting that Trump’s economic policies are similarly debated among his supporters. “The nature of Trump is we have a broad coalition, and we’re going to piss people off and we’re going to please other people. That happens week in and week out.”
A second White House official noted that Trump is playing this “extremely close to the chest” and that supporters need to “sit tight” and “trust” the president.
“It’s hard to say which way he’s actually going to come down here, but that’s kind of the entire point,” the official said. “He’s prepared for all options, but it’s kind of up to Iran. The president says it best: peace through strength. We’ve just got to trust his instincts.”
A third White House aide said that Trump “doesn’t give a f***” about the ideological differences of his supporters, echoing that his policies are driven by instinct rather than any rigid doctrine.
“He’s not an ideologue,” the official said. “He’s never been an ideologue, but he has been consistent — he has always been willing to use the military. I think people put onto him this idea that he’s never down to use the military because he’s criticized foreign entanglements, but there’s a gray area. It’s not just, like, no war or war.”
One veteran GOP operative added, “Let’s be honest. The president is essentially a lame duck, but that also means he doesn’t have to worry about how the base will react.”
“At the end of it all, I expect MAGA to get on board with his decision, regardless of the outcome, because he’s been totally transparent about the choice laid out in front of him,” the operative said.
A second Republican strategist who is supportive of military intervention suggested that Trump himself is simply stalling for time in hopes that Israel will avert the need for U.S. action with further strikes. Israel has killed senior Iranian officials, with a focus on the country’s nuclear facilities, but it is likely unable to destroy Fordow, a mountain bunker, without American help.
“I think he’s chicken s*** to make a decision, and he hopes that Israel just resolves it over the next two weeks,” the strategist said.
Whatever his eventual decision, Trump is consciously keeping both allies and enemies in the dark.
“You don’t seriously think I’m going to answer that question,” the president told reporters Wednesday when asked about the U.S. entering the war. “You don’t know that I’m going to even do it. You don’t know. I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate.”
TRUMP SANCTION EIGHT COMPANIES FOR AIDING IRANIAN MILITARY
Multiple White House aides suggested that even they could not truly say if the president is leaning toward military action or resuming nuclear talks.
“He’s truly the messenger on this. I think at this point, and I’m not being facetious, but he is NSC comms, so I can’t really speak for him,” a senior White House aide said when asked about Trump’s thinking. “He’s always open to a deal, but at this point … the terms would be a bit lopsided.”