Foreign policy is one of the only realms of American statecraft where the president has real authority without having to deal with the slow bog of a divided Congress.
It is the area where President Donald Trump plays to his strengths. His ability to see the geopolitical chessboard through the lens of opportunities and deals, rather than through barriers and wars, and his willingness to take bold new approaches brought him success in his first administration — and was the reason why the Washington, DC, establishment despised him so much.
In line with that strength, President Trump set out to negotiate with Iran as a good-faith measure to see whether war in the region was truly inevitable. For the weeks during this process, it appeared more and more that Trump was distancing himself from Israel. The break seemed real. The administration was coordinating less frequently with Israel, and at some moments, not at all.
Then, it became clear that Iran was slow-walking the Trump administration. And as soon as Israel struck Iran, and Trump spoke, it became clear that there was no real break. Trump reiterated his decades-long position: Iran cannot get nuclear weapons, and Israel has the right to hit back at the regime that has threatened to annihilate it.
“For those people who say they want peace, you can’t have peace if Iran has a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
When it briefly looked like Trump might be distancing himself from Israel, isolationist voices rushed in to fill the space. A group of online pundits — Tucker Carlson, Dave Smith, Candace Owens, and a slew of other social media influencers — moved in to seize the moment and push the Trump administration and MAGA movement to formally break from Israel.
But as Trump defended Israel, their rhetoric became more desperate.
Dave Smith, the libertarian comedian who has positioned himself as an expert on the Middle East and has been hailed by Tucker and Joe Rogan — and previously called Trump a “war criminal” — is now calling for Trump’s impeachment. He said Trump abandoned MAGA.
Daryl Cooper, who Tucker Carlson has called the most important historian in America, called for America to “commence airstrikes on Tel Aviv.” He said that Israel wants American soldiers dead.
Candace Owens said Trump is “bought and paid for,” and “will continue to do as he is told by Netanyahu,” expressing that America is a “colony of Israel.”
Tucker Carlson said Trump was “complicit in the act of war,” referring to Israel striking military objectives in Iran.
These pundits believe they have enough influence to get the Trump Administration to stop Israel from keeping Iran away from nuclear weapons. But it’s larger than that. They want Trump to abandon his preferred method of statecraft: peace through strength.
Their influence campaign is built on a series of myths they are actively spreading:
That Israel is trying to drag the US into a ground war. In reality, Israeli leadership has made no such demand. The country has carried out its own operations for decades and continues to do so — without wanting or calling for American boots on the ground.
That supporting Israel’s effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program will result in countless American casualties. Again, Israel is only asking for advanced weaponry — namely, bunker-busting munitions — not troops.
That Iran poses no real threat to the United States. Yet Iran’s fingerprints are all over the past two decades of American bloodshed in the region (this is what led to Trump’s successful assassination of Qassem Soleimani). Iranian operatives have actively plotted to assassinate American officials, including Trump himself.
That an Israeli strike would be reckless and trigger a regional war. In fact, Israel has already conducted several high-stakes operations against nuclear facilities, senior members of the IRGC, and weapons convoys in Syria. Iran’s response has been tepid. Its regime is weaker and more brittle than many assume. As of this writing, Tehran is asking to reopen diplomatic channels.
That Israel is manipulating the US into conflict. This claim collapses under Trump’s recent statement: "We're not looking for long-term war. I only want one thing — Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. That's it.” Trump sees that a nuclear Iran would destabilize global markets, embolden terrorist proxies, and trigger a regional arms race.
That Netanyahu is manufacturing conflict to escape his own domestic political crisis. The current war against Iran is above politics, and Israelis are united in understanding it is necessary for their own survival — even amid the nation’s vast political divides. His rivals have also supported his efforts. Israelis understand the stakes.
That Iran doesn’t want nuclear weapons. This claim defies overwhelming evidence: uranium enrichment far beyond civilian levels, hidden underground facilities, and obstruction of IAEA inspectors.
These arguments from the isolationist pundits are aligned with the objectives of foreign regimes.
But it’s important to note that some of these voices have understandable reasons for pushing their views. America’s recent wars in the Middle East have been disasters — trillions of dollars spent on failed nation-building projects that achieved little. Worse, these foreign entanglements have pulled our leaders’ focus away from the domestic crises that continue to destabilize life at home.
So it’s understandable that many shudder at the idea of renewed involvement in the Middle East. But in this case, that instinct is shortsighted — and, for the reasons above, illogical.
A nuclear Iran would signal a new era of impunity for rogue states and terror sponsors. The path to stability requires confronting that reality, rather than retreating from it. That’s what Trump believes.
And it is increasingly clear that the MAGA isolationists are pushing Trump to abandon his instincts and to walk away from the interests of a stable global order.
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