Trouble in MAGA-Land: Iran War, Epstein Case Cracking Trump Coalition
Perhaps President Donald Trump truly believed his loyal base would stick with him if he went to war in alliance with Israel against Iran, yet failed to realize his stated objectives in that war; or when he insulted the Pope in reaction to Leo XIV’s appeals for peace, and killed Iran’s Muslim religious leaders while mocking their religion, threatening to destroy their civilization; or in his expression of confidence that soaring gas prices would not convince nervous consumers to vote against his party in the upcoming midterm elections.
If he did believe that, new polls just released ought to be a wake-up call. The latest composite polls, reported by the New York Times on April 13, show Trump’s net approval at an all-time low of 35%, while the disapproval rate has hit 58%. Of special concern is the drop in support among those who voted for him in 2024. Among this sector of voters, The Hill newspaper reports that his approval rating has fallen in three weeks from 84% to 76%, with the main reason for the fall being his decision to go to war against Iran.
According to another poll in The Hill, only 28% of all Americans support the war, with one of the leading reasons given being that Trump’s decision was driven not by “America First” concerns, but on behalf of Israel. Former staunch Trump conservative supporters, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson, argue that Trump’s pro-war stance is a betrayal of his pledge to not fight wars where American security is not threatened, a key precept of his MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement. A New York Times article on April 7 reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu convinced Trump to join Israel’s attack due to his claim that Iran was a threat to U.S. interests as it was on the verge of having nuclear weapons, yet was so weak that regime change could be accomplished quite easily, based on the Mossad’s finding of the unpopularity of the Muslim religious leaders who run the country. The three are among many MAGA backers who see Trump’s support for Netanyahu as a rejection of MAGA, and instead an embrace of “Making Israel Great Again.”
