WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President , whose fierce denunciation of military adventurism abroad fueled his unlikely rise to the top of the Republican Party, risks becoming ensnared by that very type of conflict.
The U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday cemented Trump’s decade-long transformation from a candidate who in 2016 called the a 鈥渂ig, fat mistake” to a president warning Americans to prepare for potential casualties overseas and encouraging Iranians to 鈥渟eize control of your destiny.鈥� The strikes were also at odds with Trump’s warnings during the 2024 campaign that his Democratic rival, , was surrounded by 鈥渨ar hawks鈥� eager to send troops overseas.
Trump justified the action as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons or developing missiles capable of reaching the US, less than a year after he said airstrikes 鈥渙bliterated鈥� their capability. US intelligence has also said Iran’s weapons capability was substantially degraded.
For Trump, memories of the false pretenses underlying the Iraq War could lead to pressure to prove his assertion that Iran’s weapons production posed an imminent threat to Americans. And for Republicans already facing a challenging election year weighed down by economic anxiety, the shift could force a reassessment of how the attacks fit into the 鈥淎merica First,鈥� isolationist-leaning movement the party has embraced during the Trump era.
While Trump might benefit from an early rally-around-the-flag effect, that could be hard to sustain for weeks and months, if not longer, a far different scenario from the swift effort to remove Nicol谩s Maduro from power earlier this year in Venezuela.
Success on day one is one thing. The days after are inherently unpredictable.
鈥淭he question is whether Iran鈥檚 goal is simply to outlast America and whether Trump has strategic attention deficit disorder, which will allow the Iranians to rise from the ashes and claim victory,鈥� said Michael Rubin, a historian at the American Enterprise Institute who worked as a staff adviser on Iran and Iraq at the Pentagon from 2002 to 2004.
Many Republicans get behind Trump
Many Republicans were quick to line up behind the president, including Texas Sen. and state attorney general , who are fighting a competitive Senate primary election on Tuesday.
鈥淗opefully lives will not be lost needlessly, but this always entails risk,鈥� Cornyn said Saturday at a campaign stop near Houston. “But we know that Iran will not stop unless the United States and our allies stop them.鈥�
Others, like Sen. of Indiana, praised the military and were critical of Iran while noting that Americans will have questions that 鈥渕ust be answered.鈥�
And there was outright opposition from some who have long criticized overseas entanglements, including Sen. , the Republican of Kentucky, who lamented the start of 鈥渁nother preemptive war.鈥� Former Rep. , the Georgia Republican who was once a close Trump ally, rejected the president’s warning of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always a lie and it鈥檚 always America Last,鈥� she wrote online. 鈥淏ut it feels like the worst betrayal this time because it comes from the very man and the admin who we all believed was different.鈥�
Little advance preparation for Americans
The administration did little in advance to prepare Americans for such a dramatic action.
Vice President told The Washington Post this week there was 鈥渘o chance鈥� that the U.S. would become involved in a drawn-out war as it did in Iraq. During his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Trump dedicated just a few lines to Iran, arguing the country and its proxies have 鈥渟pread nothing but terrorism, death and hate.”
That stands in stark contrast to the lengthy runup to the Iraq War.
President , for example, named Iraq as a member of the so-called axis of evil in January 2002. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered a now-infamous speech to the United Nations in February 2003, making the case for war based on the inaccurate assertion that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. The invasion, which ultimately dominated Bush’s second term, didn’t begin until March 2003.
鈥淲e just have to be honest that there is a sense that this was not sold to the American public sufficiently,鈥� Andrew Kolvet said Saturday on 鈥淭he Charlie Kirk Show,鈥� an online program founded by the late conservative activist who was close to Trump. 鈥淧erhaps there will be an opportunity on the backend of this.鈥�
Kolvet was willing, however, to give Trump leeway, noting these are the types of challenging decisions presidents are entrusted with.
鈥淧resident Trump has earned a big, long leash,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ot an unlimited one. But a very long one to make tough decisions.鈥�
Polling suggests that many Americans share Trump’s concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, even if they’re less confident in the president’s response. About half of U.S. adults were 鈥渆xtremely鈥� or 鈥渧ery鈥� concerned that Iran鈥檚 nuclear program poses a direct threat to the U.S., according to a poll this month from .
Most Americans, 61%, said Iran is an 鈥渆nemy鈥� of the U.S., which is up slightly from a conducted in September 2023. But their confidence in the president鈥檚 judgment when it comes to relationships with adversaries and the use of military force abroad is low, the new poll shows, with only about 3 in 10 Americans saying they have 鈥渁 great deal鈥� or 鈥渜uite a bit鈥� of trust in Trump.
Democrats sense an opening
Democrats sense a political opening on the issue. In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills and Graham Platner are competing for the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in the fall. They both issued statements on Saturday pressing Collins, the only Republican on the ballot this year in a state won by Harris, to step up her oversight of the administration.
Collins was one of three Senate Republicans who backed an last month for a war powers resolution that would have limited Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks on Venezuela. they would quickly seek a vote on a similar proposal for Iran.
鈥淚f we鈥檝e started a war where we begin to lose American lives, that starts changing the political calculus,鈥� said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean.
But he noted that Democrats have vulnerabilities of their own, particularly if there’s a domestic terror attack while the Department of Homeland Security is closed as they demand changes to how immigration operations are conducted.
For now, Trump isn’t offering much of a detailed strategy on what comes next. In a social media post Saturday evening, he said bombings could continue 鈥渁s long as necessary.鈥�
___
Associated Press writer Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
