As hostilities between Iran and Israel escalate and President Trump raises the possibility of U.S. military involvement in the conflict, some of his influential supporters online are publicly disagreeing with him, a rare occurrence in the pro-Trump media sphere.
A day after Israel launched its attack on Iran, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson wrote a newsletter titled "An Act of War, Sponsored by the United States" and talked about his objections with former Trump advisor Steve Bannon on Bannon's War Room podcast.
Trump fired back at Carlson on Monday evening, writing on Truth Social: "Somebody please explain to kooky Tucker Carlson that," IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!""
Since then, multiple pro-Trump influencers defended Carlson and publicly disagreed with Trump over the issue.
"Donald Trump just completely fractured his base. Truly unbelievable," wrote commentator Candace Owens on X less than an hour after Trump's post.
One of Trump's closest congressional allies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., also quickly came to Carlson's defense.
"Tucker Carlson is one of my favorite people." she posted on X. "Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction. That's not kooky."
InfoWars host Alex Jones, who has a history of spreading conspiracy theories, posted later in the evening: "Trump attacking @TuckerCarlson for not supporting a new WORLD WAR is not something any sane person should support! This is the stuff NIGHTMARES are MADE of…"
"They're playing out the battle in the way based on the positions they've advocated for for ages," said Daniel Silverman, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University whose research includes how information travels during conflicts. "Tucker [Carlson]'s been very consistent on not picking fights with Iran back to the first Trump administration…It is notable that they're doing it so openly."
Initial polling suggests that many Americans have concerns about the U.S. militarily engaging with Iran. A weekly YouGov/Economist poll published Tuesday found that 60% of Americans across the political spectrum don't think the US military should be involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran.
In the House, representatives from both parties including Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., are seeking to require the president to get congressional approval before military intervention in the conflict. Lawmakers made a similar attempt during the first Trump administration but were unable to overcome the president's veto power.
Still, some right-wing social media influencers do support Trump's actions.
"America First is whatever President Trump says it is," wrote Laura Loomer, an activist close to Trump who had previously challenged the president's acceptance of a 747 from Qatar to serve as a new Air Force One.
Activist Charlie Kirk, who led Trump's canvassing effort during the election, posted on X: "Moments like this I have full and complete trust in President Trump".
Others have tried to strike a tone of unity, like Jack Posobiec, a prominent far-right influencer. "When people warn that regime change war would break up the MAGA Coalition, consider that is exactly what the neocons want" he wrote on X.
Later, he suggested that Trump's rhetoric might serve his domestic agenda. "What if 20 million illegals were suddenly disappeared while cable news is focused on the Middle East? Chess not checkers."
Vice President JD Vance chimed in on X: "I can assure you that he [Trump] is only interested in using the American military to accomplish the American people's goals."
Unlike many high-profile social media figures, major right-wing news sites and opinion pages have been almost unanimously supportive of the U.S.'s backing of Israel, said Howard Polskin, who runs The Righting, a website that monitors right-wing media.
"The right-wing media is supporting the vision of Trump as a powerful figure, controlling the destinies of not only our country and our politicians. But he's also controlling the fate to some extent of Israel and Iran and its citizens," said Polskin.
But so far, articles in the outlets Polskin follows have yet to discuss the prospects of troops on the ground. "In the next day or two, we may see more of that," he said.
About an hour after Vance's post, Trump's rhetoric escalated. "We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding", he posted on Truth Social on Tuesday. That was quickly followed by another post demanding "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!"
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