By Steve Holland and Jeff Mason
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The prospect of a U.S. strike against Iran has exposed divisions in the coalition of supporters that brought President Donald Trump to power, with some of his base urging him not to get the country involved in a new Middle East war.
Some of Trump’s most prominent Republican allies, including top lieutenant Steve Bannon, have found themselves in the unusual position of being at odds with a president who largely shares their isolationist tendencies.
Bannon, one of many influential voices from Trump’s “America First” coalition, on Wednesday urged caution about the U.S. military joining Israel in trying to destroy Iran’s nuclear program in the absence of a diplomatic deal.
“We can’t do this again,” Bannon told reporters at an event sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor in Washington. “We’ll tear the country apart. We can’t have another Iraq.”
The anti-interventionist part of the Republican Party is watching with alarm as Trump has moved swiftly from seeking a peaceful diplomatic settlement with Iran to possibly having the United States support Israel’s military campaign, including the use of a 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bomb.
The criticism shows the opposition Trump could face from his right-leaning “Make America Great Again” flank should he join the fight, a step that Iran has warned would have big consequences for Americans without specifying what that might be.
A decision by Trump to enter the conflict would be a sharp departure from his usual caution about foreign entanglements. It could impact his campaign to foster good relations in the Gulf and could be a distraction from his efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine and make tariff deals with countries around the world.
The MAGA coalition propelled Trump into office in the 2016 and 2024 elections and remains critically important to him even though he is prevented by the U.S. Constitution from running for a third term.
Upsetting that base could erode Trump’s popularity and factor into whether Republicans hang on to control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
IRAN CANNOT HAVE A ‘NUCLEAR WEAPON’
Asked about the rift on Wednesday, Trump appeared unconcerned that some in his base could be turning its back on him, at least on this issue.
“My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m in love with them more than they were even at election time,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I only want one thing: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
He said some of his supporters “are a little bit unhappy now” but that others agree with him that Iran cannot become a nuclear power.
“I’m not looking to fight. But if it’s a choice between them fighting or having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do,” Trump said.
Marc Short, an ally of former Vice President Mike Pence who served as Trump’s legislative director during his first term, called the division over Iran within Trump’s party a “pretty large rift.” He said he thought Trump’s base would stay with him despite the differences, however.
“The divisions are obviously coming out in the open in this moment, but ultimately I think that most of the president’s followers are loyal to him more so than any worldview,” he said.
Short said standing with Israel could help Trump politically, too. Traditionally conservative voters favor standing by Israel. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in March, 48% of Republicans agreed with a statement that the U.S. should use its military power to defend Israel from threats no matter where the threats come from, compared to 28% who disagreed. Among Democrats, 25% agreed and 52% disagreed.
International experts believe Iran has been intent on developing a nuclear weapon, despite Tehran’s denials, and Israel believes it would be at risk as a result. U.S. officials believe if Iran possessed an atomic weapon it would trigger an nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
ISRAELIS NEED TO GET JOB DONE
Bannon, host of the popular “War Room” podcast, said “the Israelis need to finish what they started” and that Trump should slow down deliberations over U.S. involvement and explain his decision-making.
“This is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world, okay, with 92 million people. This is not something you play around with. You have to think this through at this level, and the American people have to be on board. You can’t just dump this on them,” he said.
Other influential MAGA voices with similar messages of worry include former Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson and U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican and long-time Trump ally.
“Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA,” Greene said in a social media post on Sunday. “We are sick and tired of foreign wars. All of them.”
The rift was on full display when Carlson, on his streaming program, clashed with Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas late on Tuesday.
A clip from Carlson’s interview with Cruz went viral with Carlson strongly criticizing the senator for seeking regime change in Iran, and Cruz expressing support for the president.
“You don’t know anything about Iran!” Carlson told Cruz.
“I am not the Tucker Carlson expert on Iran,” Cruz fired back.
“You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of the government,” Carlson retorted.
Vice President JD Vance tried to tamp down talk of a rift on Monday with a social media post defending the president.
“People are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy. But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue,” he said.
Now allies and opponents are waiting on Trump’s decision-making process. The president said on Wednesday afternoon he had some ideas on how to proceed but had not made a final decision.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Colleen Jenkins and Jason Lange; editing by Diane Craft)
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