Wrong Target: MAGA’s Real Problem with a Strike on Iran

This isn’t anti-war. It’s a temporary wobble from a movement that prefers its violence domestic.

Jun 22, 2025

So Trump did it. He bombed Iran.

For a moment, Tucker Carlson seemed mad at Ted Cruz. Steve Bannon warned the country could be torn apart. Dave Smith went so far as to apologize for supporting Trump and called for his impeachment. But here’s the thing—they all said it before the bombs dropped. And if you’ve read Unmasking MAGA, you already know: that doesn’t mean what it looks like.

This wasn’t a principled stand against war. It was panic. A scramble to steer the war machine back to where they think it belongs. Because for MAGA’s dominant faction—the Fascists—military power isn’t something to be avoided. It’s something to be redirected. Away from foreign targets. Toward enemies at home.

The Warhawks Lost the Throne

There was a time when the Republican Party was owned by the Warhawks. They pushed invasion after invasion, swearing it was about democracy, security, and American strength. But Trump didn’t just abandon that model—he replaced it. He didn’t want to police the world. He wanted to police you.

The border wall. Family separations. The Muslim ban. Threats to shoot looters. National Guard in the streets. ICE snatch squads all over the country—especially blue cities. That’s where Trump invested American power. And that’s where MAGA cheered him on. The old Warhawks dreamed of overseas empire. Trump gave them domestic authoritarianism. And MAGA loved him for it.

The Fascists Took Over

As we laid out in Unmasking MAGA, Trump’s base isn’t a single ideology—it’s a coalition. And over time, one faction emerged dominant: the Fascists. They don’t want a “strong America abroad.” They want an America that crushes dissent at home. They don’t rally around the flag. They rally around the boot. Their enemy isn’t Iran. It’s the protestor, the journalist, the immigrant, right here in the U.S.

So when Trump started talking about striking Iran, it set off alarm bells—not because they oppose violence, but because they feared misalignment. To the fascist wing of MAGA, the problem wasn’t that Trump might use force. It’s that he might use it on the wrong target.

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Dave Smith: A Case Study in Hypocrisy

Dave Smith, a self-described “libertarian”, went on Breaking Points to issue a public apology for supporting Trump. He called it “a bad calculation,” said Trump had betrayed anti-interventionist principles, and argued he should be impeached. Why? Because Trump might attack Iran.

But let’s rewind. Just a few weeks earlier—in June 2025—Trump deployed federal troops, including the U.S. Marines, into Los Angeles. He bypassed state and local authorities. He sent in the military over the objections of California’s governor and L.A.’s mayor. That’s the kind of authoritarian move that should make any libertarian recoil.

And yet, Dave Smith barely blinked. On his show, he focused on BLM, COVID lockdowns, and left-wing “chaos”—not on the danger of Trump overriding the Constitution and militarizing city streets. So let’s be honest: military power wasn’t the problem. The problem was where it was being pointed.

The Rest of MAGA Is No Better

Carlson voiced his opposition before the strike—but even that didn’t last. According to Trump himself, Carlson “called and apologized,” admitting he may have “said things that were a little bit too strong.” In other words, he started walking it back before a single missile was launched. Bannon, too, warned Trump not to strike, then softened his position days before the attack—conceding that the base would probably “get on board” if Trump gave the order. Marjorie Taylor Greene floated the idea of a “MAGA civil war” over Iran, only to reverse herself within days and pledge support for “whatever the President decides.”

Even Matt Gaetz and Charlie Kirk, who briefly struck a tone of caution, have already framed the strike as “measured,” “justified,” and “surgical.” This isn’t a rebellion. It’s a loyalty wobble. And like every other time Trump steps out of line with one faction, it’s already being repaired.

They’ll Fall in Line. They Always Do.

Now that Trump has actually bombed Iran, the noise will begin to fade. The initial panic, the performative outrage, the threats of a “MAGA civil war”—they will all be walked back one way or another. This is the pattern: the second Trump deviates, someone throws a fit, but given enough time, they all come home.

At the end of the day, Trump is not just a politician. He’s a cult leader. And MAGA’s loyalty to him is not transactional—it’s existential. They don’t follow him because he keeps promises. They follow him because he is the promise: the promise of revenge, domination, and belonging.

And while he might occasionally bomb the wrong country or listen to the wrong advisors, he always finds his way back. To cruelty. To domination. To the domestic war that MAGA really wants to fight.

So if you're hoping this brief Iran backlash signals a change in MAGA’s soul, don’t hold your breath. They’re not mad the gun went off. They’re mad it wasn’t aimed at you.