March 2, 2026, 12:01 p.mMar 2, 2026, 12:06 p.m
By attacking Iran, Donald Trump is breaking one of his biggest campaign promises. His base and popular conservative exponents, who have already broken with the US president, react with incomprehension – and even anger. The still-influential former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson called out Trump’s actions “disgusting and evil”resigning Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene accused the administration of lying:
“‘But Iran is close to having nuclear weapons.’ Yes, sure. This lie has been told to us for decades, and Trump told us all that his bombings last summer wiped everything out. It is and remains a lie – and America comes last. But this time it feels like the worst kind of betrayal because it comes from the very man and government we all thought would be different and say no… Another war abroad for people abroad to bring about regime change abroad? For what reason? Does this reduce the inflation that our government has caused?”
Marjorie Taylor Greene on x
The former ardent supporter of Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, mutated into a sharp critic of the US president.Image: keystone
But it’s not just the usual suspects like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene who feel betrayed. Critical voices can be found in all conservative circles – after the deaths of American soldiers anyway.
“I’m not entirely sure how much the American people are interested in dead Americans. Three soldiers have already been killed and five seriously injured. What’s striking is that we don’t know how this happened. What I find even more remarkable is how the architects of this war are already pushing the boundaries and talking about a “small unit of ground troops.”
The sentences are by Curt Mills. The young American is the managing director of “The American Conservative”, a magazine that stands for strict neo-conservatism and is considered influential. Today’s website is correspondingly critical. It shows Donald Trump with the caption: “When it comes to the Iran war, you will be considered stupid.” The same tone continues under the heading:
“This president and members of this Congress are openly and blatantly insulting the intelligence of Americans.”
Curt Mills was a guest on Steve Bannon’s “show” “War Room” – as was the founder of the controversial mercenary group Blackwater, Erik Prince. The billionaire is known for his staunch right-wing Christian views and is suspected of belonging to a right-wing secret society. As the former head of a mercenary group, he is by no means a pacifist. Nevertheless, he speaks out very strongly against the bombing of Iran:
«Look, Steve, I’m not happy about this whole thing. I don’t think that was in America’s interest. This will now trigger a whole series of problems, chaos and destruction in Iran. Who takes responsibility for this? I don’t understand how this is consistent with the president’s MAGA promise. I’m disappointed.”
Steve Bannon (l.) and Erik Prince (r.)image: screenshot was room
The conservative ex-military also includes the fitness influencers and “comedians” Kevin and Keith Hodge. The twins are ex-marines and have a following of well over three million on X alone. The two shared an old post from Charlie Kirk. The murdered influencer is revered like a martyr in the right-wing scene. He asked his followers in June 2025 how they would feel if the US forcibly removed the Iranian regime. Almost 70 percent of Kirk fans spoke out against it.
Blake Neff, the former producer of the Charlie Kirk podcast, reports that he receives various messages from disappointed conservative friends:
«Trump/Vance ran with a peace platform, and that was well received. Currently, some of my right-wing friends are sending me messages like, “Screw it,” “This is extremely depressing,” or “I will never vote in a national election again.” If this war ends quickly, easily, and with a decisive victory, most people will get over it. But if the war goes differently, there will be a lot of trouble. Why this war was necessary was not convincingly explained to the American people. But success can make up for poor explanations. That’s why we have to pray for success.”
Nick Fuentes rumbles from even further to the right. His criticism comes as less of a surprise. The right-wing radical influencer is a staunch opponent of Israel and openly anti-Semitic. He writes on X:
«This is a war of aggression for Israel. Americans will die in terrorist attacks and rocket attacks so that Israel can expand its borders in all directions. Trump, Vance and Rubio have betrayed us.”
According to one new survey by ipsos and Reuters Only 27 percent of all Americans support the attacks on Iran – 43 percent are against it and 30 percent have no opinion. Republican politicians cannot ignore the negative assessment of the majority. Especially if they like Reagan Box have not yet been elected. The Republican identifies as a Trump supporter and belongs to the MAGA base and wants to win the vacant seat of Marjorie Taylor Greene for Georgia. But she takes a critical view of the Iran bombings:
“Every time we have tried to bring about regime change, especially in the Middle East, we have only created instability.”
Breck “The Patriotic Blonde” Worsham’s comments are less differentiated. She calls herself a constitutional conservative. Since the attacks on Iran, she has been retweeting calls to impeach Donald Trump again. But that’s not all. She herself resorts to a comparison that could hardly be a greater insult in conservative circles:
«Now it’s official. Jimmy Carter is no longer the worst president in the history of the United States. Mission accomplished, @Potus. Another record broken.”
The longer the war against Iran lasts and the more American casualties are reported, the greater the resistance is likely to become. The realization may even have reached Donald Trump. In an interview with the New York Times, he suggested he is aiming for a Venezuela scenario. That means: the same balance of power, the same regime – with new people. This gives him the opportunity to end the war at any time – and to announce that all goals have been achieved. Despite all the uncertainty, one thing is clear: Trump will present himself as the big winner.