Dear right-wing Iran skeptics: This war is what you voted for

Since President Donald Trump launched Operation Epic Fury to disarm the Islamic Republic of Iran, a number of right-wing media figures have been expressing their utter dismay. Postliberal writer Sohrab Ahmari, for example, rose to prominence defending Trump’s populism — but now has denounced the military action as a “betrayal.” Matt Walsh, a Daily Wire personality, expressed frustration with other MAGA voices who support the war because “almost every conservative influencer in the business was opposed to war with Iran until just now.” 

Based on these voices, one would think that Trump’s base is ready to abandon him.

But nothing could be further from the truth. A poll released last week by the Vandenberg Coalition revealed that 84% of the president’s supporters back the war. 80% said they believe the use of force against the Iranian regime will deter future attacks, and 69% said that the military action has already made the United States safer. 

These numbers demonstrate, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that these voices are completely out-of-touch. Republican voters do not support American retreat or isolationism. They understand the threats posed by the Iranian regime, and they want their president to end them.

These critics would do well to remember that Trump campaigned on getting tough on foreign policy. As Matthew Schmitz put it for Compact, he “was always an Iran hawk.” From the outset of the Islamic Revolution in the late 70s and early 80s, the future president was a consistent critic of the regime and its aggression against the U.S. In the 2010s, Trump became a fixture on Fox News for condemning Barack Obama’s foolish pursuit of a nuclear deal. Many of his supporters in the 2016 primaries believed he would take a stronger stance against radical Islamic terrorism than any of the other candidates.

Read more in Washington Examiner.