What an Economic Crisis Could Do to Trump's Coalition

"For all the discussion on the ways in which prominent conservative voices are speaking out against the war in Iran (and against President Trump's consistent hawkishness more broadly), the polling doesn't point to a split of any real significance-77 percent of Republicans approve of the decision to take military action in Iran, according to CNN, and 90 percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans back the attacks, according to NBC."

"Some Republicans are indeed openly upset about the war. Marjorie Taylor Greene, famous for her early association with Trump and her more recent split from MAGA, has called supporters of the Iran war "blood thirsty maniacs." Tucker Carlson, a consistent critic of foreign intervention, has now devoted multiple episodes of his show to critiquing the conflict."

"He has indeed reneged on his "America First" pledge to extract the United States from foreign wars, bombing Middle Eastern nuclear facilities, deposing global leaders, and threatening to attack long-held American allies such as Denmark and Mexico. In each of these cases, anti-interventionist Republicans have criticized him-without chipping away at loyalists' support for the president's moves."

While some prominent conservative figures including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Joe Rogan have publicly criticized Trump's military actions in Iran and broader foreign interventionism, polling data reveals minimal impact on Republican support. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans approve of military action against Iran, with 90 percent of self-identified MAGA Republicans backing the attacks. These anti-interventionist voices have failed to sway Trump's base despite his departure from his "America First" campaign promises to avoid foreign wars. Trump has instead pursued military strikes on Middle Eastern nuclear facilities, deposed global leaders, and threatened American allies, yet loyalists continue supporting these actions without significant erosion of support.

Read at The Atlantic