Overview
- A Politico poll reported that only 37 percent of self-identified MAGA voters now say the United States should continue the Iran campaign even if it raises costs for Americans, down from about half in May.
- The poll showed growing conditional support among MAGA voters and that nearly one in five now want the war to end regardless of U.S. costs.
- Majorities of Trump 2024 voters blame the campaign for higher pump prices, with 57 percent of MAGA voters and 63 percent of non-MAGA Trump voters saying the war raised gas costs.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the Iran effort has cost about $37.5 billion and asked Congress for an additional $67 billion for the Pentagon, prompting a heated Senate exchange over oversight and spending.
- The White House has publicly defended the president’s actions while an anonymous source close to the administration described rising internal frustration and said the victory the president seeks now looks politically unattainable, a dynamic that raises budget and midterm risks for Republicans.