Some of President Donald Trump’s biggest political supporters say he has been let down after the U.S. joined Israel in bombing Iran, an operation launched without congressional approval that has so far left six U.S. service members dead.
Trump officials acknowledge that “Operation Epic Fury,” as it has been formally named, comes with political risk, but they argue that the military operation will be short-term and in line with his “peace through strength” campaign pledge.
“We understand that some are reflexively opposed to it, that people don’t like the idea of war,” said a Trump adviser who, like others in the piece, spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. “But people like winners. They’re attracted to that. I think if we do this quickly, it’s what it looks like: a success.”
But the war is a stark departure from Trump’s longtime “America First” campaign pledge, which was predicated on the idea of focusing on domestic issues rather than foreign entanglements. Trump has indicated there is no end date for the operation in Iran, which risks turning into a wider regional conflict.
For the MAGA base, Iran’s sudden bombing looks like a sharp departure from Trump’s core policy promises and could hurt them and Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
“I don’t see how this helps Republicans in tight races across the country,” said Curt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative Magazine. “In fact, I think it might orient against them. It turns off a lot of independents.”
Former Fox News host and staunch Trump supporter Megyn Kelly said Monday she had “serious doubts” about the Iran strike, prompting a direct rebuke from Trump.
Kelly “opposed me for years when I first ran and nothing stopped me,” Trump said in an interview with The Inner Circle newsletter. “They always come back.”
Matt Walsh, a prominent right-wing campaigner who supported Trump, said nothing positive was coming out of the attack on Iran.
“No one has even come close to adequately explaining how this war directly benefits American citizens first and foremost,” he posted on social media. “That would have to be a clear and convincing case before this action, and it’s not. We’ve been told how it will benefit Israel, and I’m sure it will. But Israel is not America. What does that do to America?”
The White House did not return a request for comment for this article.
Trump ran his 2024 campaign on the idea that foreign wars would end and his focus would be more on domestic issues.
“I will not send you to fight and die in stupid foreign wars that will never end,” Trump said during a 2024 campaign stop in Pennsylvania. “I will not send our sons and daughters to fight a war in a country you’ve never heard of. We’re not going to do that. We’re going to bring our troops home and we’re going to focus on America first.”
Vice President JD Vance also said Trump’s stance against foreign interference was part of what drew him to the MAGA movement.
“My entire adult life has been shaped by a president who threw America into senseless wars and failed to win them,” JD Vance, Trump’s future vice president, said in a January 2023 guest column for the Wall Street Journal endorsing Trump’s 2024 bid.
The strikes left some who worked to help elect Trump feel betrayed and worried the war would hurt Republicans politically.
An adviser to Elon Musk’s super PAC during the 2024 campaign told NBC News that his work revolves around reaching three groups of voters disillusioned with President Joe Biden and the Democrats. After a war with Iran, they were worried that they would all be lost.
“There are three stages,” said the consultant. “One is what we call the ‘Zain Brothers.’ The 18-40 year olds. The second is Hispanics, who did well with Trump in 2024. And the third is the Dearborn approach (Muslim voters). They’re all gone.”
The person said the Iran attacks felt like a message and strategy to help Trump that ended up being dishonest.
“We lied,” he said. “I’m guilty of that myself. We didn’t know it was going to happen, but we lied to the voters who helped elect Trump.”
Some of the pushback surrounding the Iran strikes has focused on Charlie Kirk, the slain founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization focused on mobilizing younger voters.
“Last year, Charlie Kirk told us that younger generations of Americans are more interested in domestic policy than they are in international conflicts, and we can’t forget that in the intervening years,” posted Jack Posobic.
A former Trump administration official told NBC News on Monday that “timing will matter” in determining how the base will respond.
“Hurry up and he (Trump) will be fine,” the former official said.
The former official pointed out last summer when the US carried out targeted attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Last summer, MAGA-types had their panties in a bunch over a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, and it didn’t hurt the president,” added the former official. “Now that the time horizon seems so much longer than one bombing, it’s hard to consider how that would affect.”
A fast-approaching issue for Trump and Republicans is the 2026 midterms.
Republicans are trying to hold on to slight majorities in both the House and Senate, a task made more difficult by Trump’s approval ratings being the worst they’ve seen during either of his terms in office. Trump’s approval rating was just 39% in an NBC News Decision Desk poll released last month.
Mike Duhaime, former political director of the Republican National Committee, said there is a distinct dislike and mistrust of Iran that could work in the president’s favor.
“There will be strong reactions from those who feel this goes against their promises of isolation, most Americans do not trust Iran and take a wait-and-see approach,” Duheim said. “There will be no tolerance for American casualties, but most Americans know that Iran has been an enemy of the United States and the democratic West for nearly 50 years, and therefore welcome change.”
The administration’s rationale for bombing Iran is sometimes inconsistent. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday there was an “imminent threat” because the US believed Israel would attack Iran, prompting the country to retaliate against the United States. Others in the administration continue to say the move is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
“President Trump will not drag the United States into years of conflict for no apparent purpose,” Vice President JD Vance posted on social media Tuesday. “Iran will never be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. That is the goal of this operation and President Trump will see it through to completion.”
Trump has expressed some concern about alienating his political base, openly admitting that there is no set time frame for when he expects the Iran operation to end. He said he expected service members to lose their lives.
“We expect casualties,” he told NBC News on Sunday, “but in the end it’s good for the world.”
