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Trump Iran Exit Plan Not Healing Rifts 04/10 06:16
President Donald Trump's search for an off-ramp from the war with Iran is
getting bumpy inside his Republican Party.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's search for an off-ramp from the
war with Iran is getting bumpy inside his Republican Party.
In the decade since Trump's "America First" movement rose to power by
rejecting military intervention, his coalition has rarely been tested the way
it is now. Trump's exit efforts -- first through threats of annihilation, then
with a ceasefire that is proving precarious -- are doing little to paper over
tensions that have festered since the war began six weeks ago.
Laura Loomer, a conservative activist close to the president and often one
of his top boosters, rejected the notion of brokering a deal with Iran. In an
interview, she knocked Vice President JD Vance for being "in charge" of talks
expected to start Saturday in Pakistan, as he takes on a larger diplomatic role
ahead of a potential 2028 White House run.
"I support President Trump," Loomer said in an interview. "I just don't
believe in negotiating with Islamic terrorists."
Vance's office did not respond to a request for comment.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a Trump
supporter-turned-critic, called for the president to be removed from office
through the Constitution's 25th Amendment after he said earlier this week that
a "whole civilization will die tonight" unless Iran made a deal. Megyn Kelly,
the former Fox News anchor who now hosts a podcast, unloaded on Trump with a
profane critique and asked, "Can't he just behave like a normal human?"
During a recent taping of "The Charlie Kirk Show," the host wondered what
would end first, their episode or the ceasefire deal.
Despite the growing criticism, Republican leaders in Congress were largely
silent. Many were privately uncomfortable with Trump's threats on social media
and were concerned about how the war would play out, especially in an election
year. But with Congress on recess for the opening two weeks of April, House
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.,
have offered little public reaction to Trump's moves.
Some said the developments were simply unfolding too quickly.
"How do you go up and give a presentation or speech in a situation where
every 12 hours, the baseline story has a new gradient?" Rep. Dave Schweikert,
an Arizona Republican who is running for governor, said in an interview. "In
many ways, it is the sin of arrogance thinking you can go out and talk about
something when the story is still unfolding."
A factor in the midterms?
That leaves Republicans in an uncertain position, much like the state of the
war. The party already faces fierce headwinds ahead of the November midterms,
and some say its best bet is for voters to forget about Iran by then.
"My hope is that it will be long behind us by the time votes are cast," said
Chris Wilson, a veteran Republican strategist. "Fortunately for the GOP,
foreign policy flare-ups rarely decide midterm elections on their own,
especially when voters are far more focused on the economy and prices at home."
For now, Trump and his White House are expressing confidence. Trump hailed a
"big day for World Peace" after the ceasefire was first announced. White House
press secretary Karoline Leavitt heralded a "victory for the United States of
America that the president and our incredible military made happen."
In a social media post, Trump dismissed his detractors, including podcasters
such as Kelly, as "stupid people" who will "say anything necessary for some
'free' and cheap publicity."
Some of the president's supporters in Congress are pushing back at the
suggestion that Trump has become too entangled overseas at the expense of
domestic priorities.
"Part of America First is making sure that the homeland stays safe and Iran
is a factor in our safety," Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., said in an interview.
"We are all hopeful that the ceasefire does hold and that Iran lives up to
their side of the agreement.
Recent elections are cause for GOP concern
Any president's party typically loses seats in Congress during a midterm
election year and races this week offered a fresh reason for concern for
Republicans.
Republican Clay Fuller won Greene's district by about 12 percentage points.
She had a 29-percentage-point win two years earlier, and Trump carried the
district by almost 37 percentage points. In Wisconsin, the liberal majority on
the state Supreme Court grew this week when a Democratic-backed candidate won
by a double-digit margin.
That follows strong performances for Democrats in other recent races,
including the Florida state legislative district that is home to Trump's
Mar-a-Lago resort.
Only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults approved of how Trump was handling his job as
president, according to Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs
Research polling last month. That share is largely unchanged since he returned
to office in January 2025. But it is also roughly where Trump was at this point
in his first term, when Democrats went on to gain 40 House seats in the 2018
midterms.
While Trump still has deep support from Republicans, there are signs that he
risks frustrating his supporters if the U.S. becomes involved in a prolonged
war. Although 63% of Republicans back airstrikes against Iranian military
targets, the March survey found, only 20% back deploying American ground
troops. Rising gas prices could pose a problem, with about 6 in 10 Republicans
saying they are at least "somewhat" concerned about affording gas in the next
few months, though they are less worried than the rest of the country.
'People are willing to endure some short-term pain'
Republicans who have spent time with voters over the recess say they believe
the party has political breathing room to navigate the war.
Kustoff said constituents across his rural northwestern Tennessee district
seemed "generally supportive" of Trump's actions in Iran, even when they have
been accompanied by higher prices at the pump.
"My takeaway is that people are willing to endure some short-term pain as it
relates to gas prices if the situation with Iran is resolved," he said.
But as they return to Washington next week, Republicans face a series of
difficult choices.
At the outset of the war, some GOP lawmakers said Trump would need to seek
approval from Congress if the conflict lasted longer than 60 days, a deadline
that would approach near the end of April if the ceasefire did not hold. The
administration is seeking billions of dollars in additional spending for the
war, setting up a vote that could put budget-conscious Republicans in a
difficult spot before the fall campaigns.
Democrats are also moving to force another vote on a war powers resolution
that would curb Trump's options in Iran. A similar effort failed last month,
but another vote could add pressure on Republicans, depending on how the
ceasefire plays out.
Schweikert described the war powers vote as the "dance of parties."
"Their job is to try to embarrass us and our job as the majority is to try
to make things work," he said. "It's just the job."
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