The US right wing is fracturing as ‘warmongers’ run riot in face of Iran escalation
High-profile Trump supporters are running for the hills, as the man they voted in fired off “unforgivable” comments – which they claim is a “middle finger” to America.
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Several high-profile Trump supporters have watched on this week in disbelief, as the man they voted in fired off increasingly inflammatory rhetoric towards Iran from his socials.
We’ve spoken a lot about how the left became fragmented through incessant infighting, which slowly but surely pushed the moderates away from the side of purported fairness.
But now we’re seeing it happen on the right, at least in the US.
The “anti-war, pro-America” agenda Trump ran on has been tested this month, purely because of America’s historical links to Israel.
With Tel Aviv under attack after launching “pre-emptive strikes” at Iran, Trump has been forced to wade into the drama as several of his close Republican confidants bay for blood.
Unfortunately, nuance isn’t the 79-year-old’s strong suit. What followed was a series of threats directed at the Ayatollah, coupled with broad-strokes warnings of bombing Iran into oblivion.
For the libertarian and former Democrat wing of Trump’s voter base – even some of those who have forever stood staunchly behind the billionaire – this messaging was seen as poison.
Optimists saw him as a rejection of the past, but as each day passes, the Republican Party’s old colours are shining through.
After promising to clean up bloated bureaucracy and partially withdraw America from “wasteful” overseas aid, some believe Trump has now taken the Iran fiasco to dangerous new heights.
He has lashed out at Tucker Carlson, the provocative talk show host who found new footing online after being ousted by Fox, for his vocal opposition to yet another war with nations a world away.
Carlson has spoken with many guests about the failure of Middle Eastern campaigns and the numerous, ultimately futile attempts to establish a lasting peace in the region.
The anti-war wing of America who stood behind Trump as America’s “solution” is now coming to terms with the current crisis and what it could mean for the future.
Meanwhile, the rusted-on neoconservatives have crawled back out from under the woodwork claiming, as many did in the George Bush administration 20 years ago, that they are working for the good of the world.
The fracturing of the US right is picking up pace.
Cruz stumbles in spat with Carlson
While he aggressively endorsed Trump in the lead-up to the election, Carlson has refused to be an absolutist. He has criticised America’s strong ties to Israel, which have placed Washington in a delicate situation as Benjamin Netanyahu uses US-funded armaments at will against his foes.
“While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel … place the US at the centre,” Carlson said, doubling down on his criticism by blasting prominent conservative figures like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin as “warmongers” for urging direct US intervention.
Carlson then cornered US Senator and former Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz in an awkward, widely-shared interview released this week.
During the sit-down, Carlson peppered Cruz with basic questions about Iran and he fell flat on his face. Cruz was unable to say what Iran’s population was, which struck a nerve with Carlson, who accused him of ignorance while simultaneously calling for a forceful regime change.
“How many people live in Iran, by the way?” Carlson asked.
“I don’t know the population at all,” Cruz replied.
“You don’t know the population you seek to topple?” Carlson said.
“Why is it relevant if it’s 90 million, or 80 million, or 100 million?” Cruz snapped back. “They are Persians, and predominantly Shia.”
Cruz slipped again, using the word “we” when describing Israel’s strikes on Iran. “We are carrying out military strikes today,” he said. He quickly ate his words and claimed he was merely referencing American support for Israeli strikes rather than direct US action.
“You just said ‘we’ were,” Carlson quipped.
“This is high stakes. You’re a senator. If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening.”
‘An unforgivable betrayal’
America First and isolationist conservatives are deeply uneasy at the prospect of US escalation, especially after Trump’s public praise of Israel’s “excellent” strikes and his “unconditional surrender” rhetoric.
Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of The Federalist, has defended Trump historically but warned this time that giving a “green light” to Iran strikes would be “an unforgivable betrayal by millions of American voters” and a “strategic policy mistake”.
Meanwhile, Charlie Kirk, who leads Turning Point USA, cautioned that Trump’s approach “will cause a massive schism in MAGA” and imperils the consistency of his “America First” agenda.
Steve Bannon, another prominent MAGA ally who has a chequered history with Trump, echoed those sentiments, warning against foreign entanglements and emphasising that Trump’s move contradicts his core campaign promise of avoiding endless overseas wars.
“(It) would tear the country apart,” Bannon said.
“The Israelis have to finish what they started … We can’t do this again. We can’t have another Iraq.”
Originally published as The US right wing is fracturing as ‘warmongers’ run riot in face of Iran escalation
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