A split forms in MAGA world as Trump weighs next steps on Iran
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., waits for a video interview at the Georgia Republican Convention in Dalton, Ga, on June 7.
A schism has opened among President Donald Trump's most devout MAGA supporters and national security conservatives over the Israel-Iran conflict, as some longtime defenders of the president's America First mantra call him out for weighing a greater U.S. role in the region.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, commentator Tucker Carlson and conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk — with legions of their own devoted followers — are reminding audiences of Trump's 2024 promises to resist overseas military involvement after a week of deadly strikes and counterstrikes between Israel and Iran, and discussion of U.S. involvement.
On social media and their popular airwaves, questions about Trump's stance from these central validating voices are exposing a crack in his forward guard. They are also warning that the schism could deter progress on other priorities.
'No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy,' Kirk wrote on X, adding he was 'very concerned' that a massive split among MAGA could 'disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.'
The State Department and U.S. military last week directed a voluntary evacuation of nonessential personnel and their loved ones from some U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.
Trump on Monday abruptly departed this week's G7 Summit in Canada due to the intensifying conflict, returning to Washington for urgent talks with his national security team. He also posted an ominous social media warning that 'Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!'
The moves sparked new speculation from his isolationist devotees that the U.S. might be deepening its involvement, perhaps by providing the Israelis with bunker-busting bombs to penetrate Iranian nuclear sites or offering other direct U.S. military support.
Other strong Trump backers, including Sen Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are making the case that this is Trump's moment to deliver a decisive blow against Iran. Graham is calling for Trump to 'go all-in' in backing Israel and destroying Iran's nuclear program.
'If that means providing bombs, provide bombs,' he said Sunday on CBS's 'Face the Nation.' 'If that means flying with Israel, fly with Israel.'
Any option comes with political risk for Trump, who, as he returned to Washington, expressed exasperation at Iranian leaders' failure to reach an agreement.
'They should have done the deal. I told them, 'Do the deal,'' he told reporters on Air Force One. 'So I don't know. I'm not too much in the mood to negotiate.'
On Tuesday, Trump said on social media that the U.S. knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding during the conflict but doesn't want him killed 'for now.' He also called for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.'
A look at what some of Trump's top MAGA-world backers are saying:
On Monday, Carlson's increasingly critical rhetoric toward Trump reached a new level, as the longtime supporter who headlined large rallies with Trump during the 2024 campaign suggested Trump's posture was breaking his pledge to keep the United States out of new foreign entanglements.
'You're not going to convince me that the Iranian people are my enemy,' Carlson said as a guest on 'War Room,' the podcast led by 2016 Trump campaign adviser Steve Bannon. 'It's Orwell, man. I'm a free man. You're not telling me who I have to hate.'
Carlson posted to X that same day his call to challenge other Trump media supporters like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin to push the president to uphold his campaign pledge.
Trump has bristled at the criticism, posting on social media, 'Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that,' IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!''
The Georgia Republican — the epitome of MAGA, sporting the signature red cap for President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address — has publicly sided with Carlson, directly calling out Trump for deriding 'one of my favorite people.'
Saying the former Fox News commentator 'unapologetically believes the same things I do,' Greene wrote on X Monday night that those beliefs include that 'foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction.'
'That's not kooky,' Greene added, using the same word Trump used to describe Carlson. 'That's what millions of Americans voted for. It's what we believe is America First.'
The founder of Turning Point USA has been generally supportive of Trump, saying Monday in an interview with Fox News that 'this is the moment that President Trump was elected for,' but he's also warned of a potential MAGA divide over Iran since last week.
Days later, Kirk said, 'Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war.' He also wrote that 'there is historically little support for America to be actively engaged in yet another offensive war in the Middle East. We must work for and pray for peace.'
That same day, Kirk noted, 'The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible.'
The evolving situation surrounding Iran isn't the first time Trump and some of his base have diverged, and it's possible the current tension is more of a disagreement than a breakup between the president and the MAGA faithful.
In April, some of the thought leaders and influential podcasters who backed Trump's campaign voiced doubts as global markets buckled under the pressure of impending tariffs.
Trump has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine, in December calling Biden's decision to allow Ukrainian forces to use American long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory 'a very stupid thing to do.' But Trump stopped short of cutting off all funding, something for which other allies, including Carlson, have advocated.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump and Putin End Their Meeting That Started with a Warm Handshake Belying Bloodshed in Ukraine
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Grynkewich's presence is likely to be welcomed by European leaders who have tried to convince Trump to be firm with Putin and not deal over Kyiv's head. War still raging Foreign governments are watching closely to see how Trump reacts to Putin, likely gauging what the interaction might mean for their own dealings with the U.S. president, who has eschewed traditional diplomacy for his own transactional approach to relationships. The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by just 3 miles (less than 5 kilometers) and the international date line. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
DC sues to block Trump's federal takeover of its police department as intervention intensifies
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Trump's takeover of the police department is historic yet had played out with a slow ramp-up in federal law enforcement officials and National Guard troops to start the week. As the weekend approached, though, signs across the city — from the streets to the legal system — suggested a deepening crisis over who controls the city's immigration and policing policies, the district's right to govern itself and daily life for the millions of people who live and work in the metro area. At a Friday afternoon hearing for the District's request for a temporary restraining order against sidelining Smith, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes indicated the law likely doesn't allow the Trump administration power to fully take over city police, but it probably does give the president more power than the city might like. 'The way I read the statute, the president can ask, the mayor must provide, but the president can't control,' said Reyes, nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden. An attorney for the Trump administration, Yaakov Roth, said in court that the move to sideline Smith came after an immigration order that still held back some aid to federal authorities. He argued that the president has broad authority to determine what kind of help police in Washington must provide. Washington's top legal official was pushing in court to reverse U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi's order Thursday to put the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Terry Cole, in charge of Washington police. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued the police takeover is illegal and threatens to 'wreak operational havoc." The police takeover is the latest move by Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the United States illegally. 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National Guard troops watched over some of the world's most renowned landmarks, and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train station. Volunteers helped homeless people leave long-standing encampments — to where was often unclear. Twenty federal law enforcement teams had fanned out across the city Thursday night with more than 1,750 people joining the operation, said a White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. They made 33 arrests, including 15 migrants who did not have permanent legal status, the official said. Others were arrested on warrants for murder, rape and driving under the influence. Department of Homeland Security police stood outside Nationals Park during a game Thursday between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. DEA agents patrolled The Wharf, a popular nightlife area, while Secret Service officers were seen in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood. "I always feel safe in every quadrant and every ward of this city,' said Anthony Leak, a lifelong Washingtonian. He attended the Nationals game Thursday said he didn't think the presence of federal agents meaningfully changed the regularly rowdy scene of sports fans and lively bars. As the District challenged the Trump administration in court Friday, more than 100 protesters gathered less than a block away in front of police headquarters for a rally, chanting "Protect home rule!' and waving signs saying 'Resist!" Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Ashraf Khalil, Michael Kunzelman and Will Weissert in Washington contributed. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Japan Today
4 hours ago
- Japan Today
Putin, Trump meet to discuss fate of Ukraine
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday. By Steve Holland, Andrew Osborn and Darya Korsunskaya U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met face-to-face in Alaska on Friday in a high-stakes meeting that could determine whether a ceasefire can be reached in the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. Ahead of the summit, Trump greeted the Russian leader on a red carpet on the tarmac at a U.S. Air Force base. The two shook hands warmly and touched each other on the arm before riding in Trump's limo to the summit site nearby. The two leaders sat silently with their respective delegations seated to the side in their first meeting since 2019. They were seated in front of a blue backdrop that had the words, "Pursuing Peace" printed on it. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict with Russia and recognizing - if only informally - Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine. Earlier, Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. "I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I'm here to get them at a table," he said. Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: "I want to see a ceasefire rapidly ... I'm not going to be happy if it's not today ... I want the killing to stop." Trump was joined in his meeting with Putin by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff. At a subsequent larger, bilateral meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles will also join Trump, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The Russian officials accompanying Putin in the talks with the U.S. delegation will be foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Trump hopes a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war that Putin started will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. For Putin, the summit is already a big win that he can portray as evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy. Trump, who once said he would end Russia's war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He said if Friday's talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskyy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a three-way summit would be possible if the Alaska talks bore fruit, Interfax news agency reported. Peskov also said Friday's talks could last six to seven hours. Zelenskyy said the summit should open the way for a "just peace" and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another. "It's time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America," Zelenskyy wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Trump said before the summit that there is mutual respect between him and Putin. "He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I ... We get along, there's a good respect level on both sides," Trump said of Putin. He also welcomed Putin's decision to bring businesspeople to Alaska. "But they're not doing business until we get the war settled," he said, repeating a threat of "economically severe" consequences for Russia if the summit goes badly. The United States has had internal discussions on using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska as one of the possible deals to aim for, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. One source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine, given that Putin understood Russia's economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war. Reuters has previously reported that Putin might be willing to freeze the conflict along the front lines, provided there was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to lift some Western sanctions. NATO has said Ukraine's future is in the alliance. Russia, whose war economy is showing strain, is vulnerable to further U.S. sanctions - and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India. "For Putin, economic problems are secondary to goals, but he understands our vulnerability and costs," the Russian source said. Putin this week held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants - a new nuclear arms control accord to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February. COMMON GROUND? The source familiar with Kremlin thinking said it looked as if the two sides had been able to find some common ground. "Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon ... because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse (due to sanctions pressure)," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity. Putin has said he is open to a full ceasefire but that issues of verification must first be sorted out. One compromise could be a truce in the air war. Zelenskiy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States. Ukrainians who spoke to Reuters in central Kyiv on Friday were not optimistic about the summit. "Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories - we're not going to give anything to anyone," said Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
