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Trump has defiant message for MAGA supporters after they criticize Iran strikes
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President Donald Trump has brushed off criticism from prominent conservative media personalities over his ongoing military campaign against Iran, arguing that he, not his detractors, embodies the true spirit of MAGA.
As his approval ratings face unprecedented scrutiny, talk radio host and former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly said she had “serious doubts” about the airstrikes and questioned whether they justified the deaths of U.S. service personnel.
Meanwhile, political activist and commentator Tucker Carlson condemned the bombing campaign as “absolutely disgusting and evil,” and businessman and eminent Trump donor Erik Prince said he was “not happy about the whole thing.”
How has Trump responded?
Despite the pushback, Trump told the independent Washington, D.C., newsletter The Inner Circle on Monday that his political foundation remains firmly intact.
“I have to do what’s right, number one — and you can’t have Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That’s predominant to me,” Trump said.
Addressing Kelly and Carlson directly, he added: “I think that MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two. MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it… This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly.”
He also dismissed Kelly’s opposition by pointing to her past criticism of his credentials. “She was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time and nothing stopped me,” he said, adding: “They always come back.”
Public opinion on Iran strikes
Polling suggests public skepticism about the operation, dramatically named “Operation Epic Fury,” with surveys indicating that only about one in four Americans support the strikes on the Middle Eastern country. Even among Republicans, 23 percent reportedly believe Trump has been too quick to resort to military force.
As of Monday evening, six U.S. service members had been killed in Iranian retaliatory strikes at a military base in Kuwait. Trump has not ruled out deploying “boots on the ground,” although he’s provided mixed messages about the timeline and objectives of the campaign.
Speaking on her SiriusXM show before the latest casualty figures were updated, Kelly said: “I don't think those four [now six] service members died for the United States. I think they died for Iran or for Israel... this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel's war...”
While reaffirming her past support, she added: “I support the president. I voted for the president. I campaigned for the president. But that doesn't mean... you have to accept another Middle East war without questions. And anyone who tells you that can suck it...”
She continued: “There is nothing unpatriotic, or unsupportive of one's conservatism, to say 'I would like to be better convinced that this is worth the sacrifice of American blood and treasure.'”