A brewing civil war inside the MAGA movement may soon be cooled by President Donald Trump himself, who is reportedly working behind the scenes to pull the major personalities back together.
At the heart of the dispute is Trump’s looming decision on whether to launch strikes on Iran and assist Israel in taking out the Muslim country’s military nuclear capabilities. The President has signaled he is open to direct U.S. involvement, which has sparked alarm among some America First voices, including Tucker Carlson and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who are urging Trump to stick to his campaign promises.
According to sources familiar with the effort, White House officials began quiet outreach after Carlson blasted out a Newsletter on Monday warning that “many in Trump’s MAGA movement are not happy.”
“US says it was ‘not involved,’” Carlson wrote. “That’s not true. Trump is complicit in an act of war.”
Later that day, Carlson joined Steve Bannon on his podcast, with both longtime Trump supporters voicing concern about the possibility of America entering its third Middle East war of this century.
That outreach appears to be working. On Wednesday, Bannon predicted most of Trump’s base will stand with him if he chooses to bomb Iran.
Trump also revealed that Carlson privately apologized to him on a phone call.
“Tucker’s a nice guy. He called and apologized the other day because he thought he said things that were a little bit too strong and I appreciated that,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
Carlson had spent major political capital backing Trump in the 2024 campaign, championing his promise to keep America out of more foreign wars and focus on priorities at home. But that stance has drawn fire from the hawkish wing of the GOP, with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Fox News host Mark Levin, and others labeling Carlson the leader of an “isolationist” faction.
The divide is even reaching into Trump’s own cabinet. After Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a blunt video warning that “we are closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before,” she quickly fell out of favor with Trump and has now been sidelined in internal discussions about how to handle the growing crisis.
Vice President J.D. Vance has stepped in to calm the waters, posting on social media that Gabbard remains “a veteran, a patriot, a loyal supporter of President Trump, and a critical part of the coalition he built in 2024.”
“She’s an essential member of our national security team, and we’re grateful for her tireless work to keep America safe from foreign threats,” Vance said.
Vance has also made it clear he blames Iran for dragging its feet.
Time has “already run out,” he said. “They had 60 days … plenty of time, and they made a mistake.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt provided a massive update on the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
During a press briefing on Thursday, Leavitt revealed that President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on using “bunker buster” bombs on Iran’s Fordow facility and will wait roughly “two weeks” to leave room to negotiate.
“I have a message directly from the president, and I quote. ‘on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,’” Leavitt said.
President Trump told reporters Wednesday that the Iranian government has requested a direct meeting with his administration and is prepared to send a delegation to the White House.
Meanwhile, as Israel continues targeting military and nuclear sites within Iran, it has urged the U.S. to strike the Fordow Nuclear Enrichment Center. Lacking the bunker-buster bombs necessary to destroy the facility, which is deeply embedded inside a mountain, Israel has sought assistance from the United States.