Trump not losing voters over Iran war: Karl Rove
by Ashleigh Fields – 03/19/26 12:25 PM ET
Republican strategist Karl Rove on Wednesday argued President Trump will not lose any voters over the war against Iran.
“Much of the criticism of Operation Epic Fury comes from the likes of the Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes, the Israel-obsessed podcasters Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, and the conspiracist Candace Owens. Do voters who identify themselves as MAGA Republicans share their opinions? Do they feel betrayed by the president?” Rove wrote in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal.
“The answer is an unequivocal no, according to a survey from the Vandenberg Coalition, a nonpartisan group committed to the idea that ‘the national security, prosperity, and freedom of the United States require a strong and proud foreign policy,’” he added.
Figures from the survey show 84 percent of all respondents approved of U.S. strikes destroying Iran’s missile arsenal and production sites, degrading Iran’s terrorist proxy networks and preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The survey was facilitated by the GOP polling firm TargetPoint March 3-5 among 1,232 self-described Trump voters.
More than half of MAGA conservatives, traditional conservatives and moderate Republicans included in the survey said the U.S. strikes eliminating Iran’s leaders were making the country more safe. Meanwhile, about 1 in 4 of total respondents, including libertarian-leaning Trump voters, said it has had no impact or made the country less safe.
“The president bears some responsibility for the betrayal that some far-right media figures feel. He promised time and again to end wars, not start them. Long before running, Mr. Trump torched then-President Barack Obama for even considering military action against Iran,” Rove wrote in the Wednesday op-ed.
“But a bigger part of the president’s appeal has been his determination to make the U.S. military the greatest force for good on the planet and to project American strength,” he added, noting that broader support for the war among the public is low and can get lower.
THE ARTFUL DILETTANTE 