Iran war puts Donald Trump’s MAGA under strain as loyalists break ranks

Donald Trump’s MAGA coalition is showing fractures as longtime supporters are openly criticising his foreign policy and perceived flip-flops.

For years, the Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) coalition looked unshakeable.

However, cracks that began as whispers are now loud enough to hear in the West Wing – and the Iran war seems to be the trigger for breaking it all open.

The latest, and most dramatic, sign of rupture came Tuesday.

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center and the first Senate-confirmed official to resign in protest during Trump’s second term, walked away from his post citing objections to the administration’s ongoing war with Iran.

It wasn’t a quiet exit.

In a resignation letter posted directly to his personal X account, Kent wrote that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation” and that the US “started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby”.

Catch the LIVE updates on the Middle East conflict here.

Who is Joe Kent and why does his resignation matter?

Kent isn’t a fringe figure.

A US Army veteran who was deployed on 11 combat missions and retired with six Bronze Stars, Kent later became a paramilitary officer with the CIA and served as a counterterrorism advisor on Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.

Trump himself nominated him to lead the National Counterterrorism Center in early 2025.

Kent is the first major break from someone who actually influences US government policy, as Time magazine noted, distinguishing him from commentators who have been sounding the alarms.

The significance wasn’t lost on observers.

“Joe Kent is not a nobody,” Curt Mills, editor of The American Conservative , was quoted by news website The Hill .

“Usually when people resign in protest, you hear their name for the first time.

Plenty of people have heard Joe Kent’s name before.”
Trump’s response was characteristically blunt.

He called Kent “very weak on security” and said it was “a good thing that he’s out”.

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Kent’s walkout didn’t happen in a vacuum.

The MAGA base has been visibly fracturing over Trump’s decision to launch military strikes against Iran alongside Israel, a move that cuts directly against the “no more forever wars” promise that defined his campaigns.

Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Matt Walsh are among the prominent MAGA-aligned media figures who have expressed discontent – a development noticed inside the White House, which has been playing defense on social media and in interviews.

Former Georgia Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, speaking on Kelly’s podcast, said: “Make America Great Again was supposed to be America first, not Israel first.”
In a blistering post on X, Greene wrote: “We said ‘No More Foreign Wars, No More Regime Change!’ We said it on rally stage after rally stage, speech after speech.”
We said “No More Foreign Wars, No More Regime Change!” We said it on rally stage after rally stage, speech after speech.

Trump, Vance, basically the entire admin campaigned on it and promised to put America FIRST and Make America Great Again.

My generation has been let down,… pic.twitter.com/P0l90kaZFZ — Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@FmrRepMTG) February 28, 2026
Trump has swatted back at his critics.

He flatly declared “MAGA is Trump – MAGA’s not the other two,” referring to Carlson and Kelly.

On Sunday, Trump went further, saying those attacking Fox News commentator Mark Levin over his pro-war stance “ARE NOT MAGA, I AM.”
Despite the high-profile defections, polling shows Trump’s rank-and-file still has his back for now.

An NBC News poll taken after the conflict began found 77% of Republicans and 90% of self-described MAGA Republicans supported the Iran strikes.

However, “majority of registered voters disapprove of how President Donald Trump is handling the situation in Iran and believe the U.S.

shouldn’t have taken military action against the country”, NBC News reported.

ALSO READ | US flip flop on Iran: Trump claims war is ‘pretty much’ over, but Pentagon says ‘we’ve only just begun’
CNN’s polling early in the war showed 23% of Republicans largely approved of the decision to take military action.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll showed Trump’s military action against Iran enjoying GOP support of 55%-13% .

The same was 81%-12% in a Washington Post poll.

However, the dissent among prominent MAGA supporters is conspicuous.

Even Vice-President JD Vance, as per CNN, has so declined to fully endorse the war.

This isn’t just about policy.

Even MAGA’s once-edgy identity, which had so far been a key part of Trump’s political movement, is losing its luster, particularly among younger conservatives.

A Washington Post-ABC-Ipsos polling found that Trump’s “approval with adults under age 30 has dropped from 44%-29% since February 2025.

A slight decline  of 34%-30% was noticed among those in their 30s.

This year alone, Trump has captured the leader of Venezuela, taken out Iran’s Supreme Leader and his top aides, and the Arctic diplomats in Washington remain nervous about his obsession with seizing Greenland.

Another concern is his targeting of Cuba where he has effectively brought about a nationwide blackout and widespread concerns.

Although the US is in talks with Cuba, Trump is essentially aiming for a “friendly takeover” of the island nation .

To top that, Trump’s constant brag about how he can upset any nation with his tariff threats is borderline economic war and not going down well within the US itself.

The US Supreme Court recently ordered the arbitrary tariffs imposed by Trump on various nations as it wasn’t within his legal rights to do so.

For a movement built on the promise of pulling America back from global adventurism, the disconnect is becoming harder to ignore with Trump’s war quests.

Abhishek Chakraborty is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express in Delhi, working at the intersection of digital-first journalism, editorial decision-making, and audience engagement.

He is closely involved in shaping and commissioning stories for the digital platform, with a focus on breaking news, explanatory journalism, and sharp, reader-oriented presentation.

His work spans editorial planning, real-time news judgment, headline optimisation, and platform strategy, including search and social distribution.

He has a strong interest in the evolution of news consumption in the digital ecosystem.

He is particularly interested in how national newsrooms adapt to platform-led distribution models, data-informed editorial choices, and the balance between speed, depth, and credibility in digital-first journalism.

His core interest areas are business, science, and political news.

Education and interest areas: Abhishek holds a postgraduate degree in Political Science and a graduate degree in Journalism.

His academic grounding informs his reportage and editing, particularly on politics, governance, and public policy.

He is interested in the future of digital journalism, newsroom transformation, and the evolving relationship between technology, platforms, and public discourse.

Abhishek hails from Assam's Guwahati and is proficient in English, Bengali, Assamese and Hindi.

When not in the newsroom, Abhishek can be found exploring food trails around Delhi and Northeast India.

In his leisure, Abhishek likes to go on long drives or bike rides, play cricket and games, and explore historical places.

Work experience: Abhishek has over 11 years of experience at The Times of India, The Quint, India Today, ABP Network, and now, at The Indian Express.

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