Divide Over Iran Splinters Trump's MAGA Movement

The possibility of the United States getting involved in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran has splintered President Donald Trump's typically united MAGA movement into several different camps.

In one camp are the Trump allies who have argued, both directly to the president and on social media, that the U.S. should stay out of the fight between Jerusalem and Tehran. In the other are the Trump allies who argue that it's in the best interest of the United States for the president to deal more aggressively with Iran. And then there's a third camp, made up of those who have expressed deference to Trump in whatever he decides to do.

While some have suggested that the rift among Trump allies could irreparably divide MAGA, The Hill's sources said the president will have the final say on what "America First" looks like in practice.

Here's a breakdown of which camp leading MAGA figures fall into.

Pushing for a non-involvement policy

Influential MAGA voices such as former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have been making the case in recent days that any kind of U.S. involvement in a conflict with Iran would be a contradiction of Trump's "America First" foreign policy and would repeat the mistakes of former President George W. Bush.

"This is exactly the same pitch as the Iraq war," Bannon said on Tucker Carlson's show on X.

After Israel launched missile strikes against Iran late last week, Carlson wrote that the president was "complicit in the act of war" and said what happens next in the Middle East "will define Donald Trump's presidency."

Trump hit back at Carlson in a social media post, calling him "kooky."

Beating the drum for action

On the opposite end of the spectrum are those Trump allies who are calling for the president to take a more aggressive posture toward Iran, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Fox News host Mark Levin.

In recent days, Graham has argued that Iran had its chance to negotiate with the administration and called for Trump to be "all in" to prevent Tehran from achieving its nuclear ambitions.

"Four presidents have promised to make sure Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon. It will be Donald J. Trump who delivers on that promise very soon," Graham said Tuesday.

In a New York Post opinion piece published Monday, Levin disputed the idea that action on Iran is a betrayal of the MAGA movement, writing there's "nothing new or good about isolationism, which, in a word, is appeasement."

"The isolationists tell us that to oppose this is to be a warmonger and anti-MAGA," Levin added. "No, they're not MAGA. But we've seen their like before."

Going along with whatever he decides

The third camp has reportedly emerged within the last 48 hours and includes MAGA figures who essentially have expressed a willingness to support Trump in whatever course of action he decides.

In a lengthy social media post on Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said that Trump "may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment," but the "decision ultimately belongs to the president."

"And of course, people are right to be worried about foreign entanglement after the last 25 years of idiotic foreign policy," Vance wrote. "But I believe the president has earned some trust on this issue. And having seen this up close and personal, I can assure you that he is only interested in using the American military to accomplish American people's goals. Whatever he does, that is his focus."