As fire and fury hit MAGA tent, Vance walks the tightrope for 2028

The fire and fury that is consuming the MAGA fraternity that had rallied behind Donald J. Trump’s anti-war rhetoric for a decade touched the administration on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) when Joe Kent, a long-term acolyte, resigned as the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Mr. Kent, who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and later in the CIA, wrote in his resignation letter.

Laura Loomer, an influential cheerleader of the war who has Mr. Trump’s ear took to social media speculating that Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence and a strong opponent of wars, could be the next to resign.

The new war launched by Mr. Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is triggering a wide range of realignment of personal loyalties and political positions across both parties, but a role reversal within the Republican Party is remarkable. Three key figures who are now the main mouthpieces of Mr. Trump’s new war — Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — were opponents of Mr. Trump in his primary contest in 2015.

Difficult line

Mr. Trump had clashed with all three on policy issues, particularly on West Asian wars, and hurled insults at all three. While they now rally Republicans behind Mr. Trump — polling shows above 80% of the party’s supporters backing the war — MAGA natives such as Mr. Kent could find it increasingly difficult to remain in the Trump tent. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from the House of Representatives on January 5, 2026, nearly two months before the war began, while Vice President J.D. Vance and Ms. Gabbard — two key war sceptics who are in the administration — are walking a difficult line.

Both have stopped short of supporting the war but reiterated their trust in Mr. Trump’s judgement and capacity. Their position is as follows: that it is not in America’s interest for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and Mr. Trump knows what he is doing. This framing allows them to continue in the administration while not endorsing the war completely, and holding Mr. Trump responsible for the consequences while praising his leadership.

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Mr. Vance, standing next to Mr. Trump in the Oval Office on March 16, said the President had been consistent “going back to 2015… that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. And I agree with him.” He added: “…we have a smart President whereas in the past, we’ve had dumb Presidents and I trust President Trump to get the job done… and to make sure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.”

On March 13, he did not deny the reporting that he had expressed reservations — which were publicly articulated too — about attacking Iran. Asked what his advice to Mr. Trump was, Mr. Vance said: “I’m not going to show up here and in front of God and everybody else tell you exactly what I said in that classified room — partly because I don’t want to go to prison, and partly because I think it’s important for the President of the United States to be able to talk to those advisers without those advisers running their mouth to the American media.”

High stakes

In her first public comments after the U.S.-Israel axis started bombing Iran, Ms. Gabbard posted on X on Tuesday, soon after Mr. Kent announced his resignation, about Mr. Trump: “As our Commander in Chief, he is responsible for determining what is and is not an imminent threat, and whether or not to take action he deems necessary to protect the safety and security of our troops, the American people and our country… The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is responsible for helping coordinate and integrate all intelligence to provide the President and Commander in Chief with the best information available to inform his decisions… After carefully reviewing all the information before him, President Trump concluded that the terrorist Islamist regime in Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion.”

The stakes are much higher for Mr. Vance, who is 41, and the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for President in 2028. Mr. Trump has publicly acknowledged that Mr. Vance had a different view. “He was, I would say, philosophically a little bit different than me. I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going, but he was quite enthusiastic… We get along very well on this.” Mr. Trump has also been suggesting that Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio are both potential candidates in 2028, though the latter has so far maintained that he has no plans to challenge the Vice President. Mr. Trump wants to be the kingmaker in the Republican Party, and his role after the presidency will be contingent upon a contest for the nomination.

‘MAGA is Trump’

Mr. Trump has countered criticism from within his camp on two lines. One, critics do not understand MAGA, and this war fits well within the mandate that he sought in three elections. “MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America First,” he said in one interview. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing — every aspect of it.”

Secondly, he has repeated his long-held claim that MAGA is a movement that follows him in whatever he says and decides. “I think that MAGA is Trump,” he said, dismissing criticism that the war against Iran has betrayed the trust of his voters. He is largely right on this count. For all their scepticism of wars and global entanglement, three surveys put MAGA Republican support for the strikes at between 85 and 90% — significantly stronger than Republicans generally, and Americans generally.

Since Mr. Trump manages to hold the majority of the MAGA camp within his spell, Mr. Vance has little option other than his current course. Even those who are not in the administration, such as commentator Tucker Carlson and Ms. Greene, have stopped short of personally criticising Mr. Trump, suggesting instead that he is being misled. “It’s time to reorganise. It’s already beginning. The mission, not the man,” Ms. Greene posted this week. At the moment, it is hope against force.

Published – March 18, 2026 12:14 pm IST