On Iran, It's Trump vs. MAGA

[justaprogressive]

Donald Trump is besieged on several fronts. His Ukraine policy has failed, as has his alliance with Putin and his foray against China. His tariff bluffs are backfiring, making it hard for U.S. manufacturers, importers, and consumers to plan. His executive excesses are mostly being overturned by the courts.

After making a commitment to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to spare farmworkers from ICE raids, later extended to hotel and restaurant workers other than suspected criminals, Trump impulsively reversed course and directed ICE to double down on arrests. And his Big Beautiful Bill has fractured his Republican allies in Congress.

Trump’s approval ratings are now deeply underwater. As Trump becomes more unpopular, he becomes more reckless. But his impulsive shift, from trying to contain Israel’s all-out war on Iran last week, to hankering to join it this week, is dividing his party MAGA base like nothing else.

Polls show the vast majority of Americans want the U.S. to stay out of the war. A new YouGov poll released Tuesday found that only 23 percent of Republicans say the U.S. should be involved in the conflict between Iran and Israel, while 51 percent want the country to stay out. Just 16 percent of all Americans support U.S. involvement, while 60 percent are opposed. The majority of Republicans—61 percent—support negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-06-18-on-iran-its-trump-vs-maga/

[usonian]

1. I Dreamed a Dream

MAGA civil war!