GRAPEVINE, TEXAS — Joseph Bolick, a 30-year-old veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, feels let down by President Donald Trump over the war in Iran. Bolick, who supported Trump in the 2024 election, attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) sporting an “America First” hat—a slogan Trump emphasized during his campaign alongside promises not to initiate new foreign wars.
“He’s lied about everything,” Bolick expressed. “If you go into a war where there’s no end game, how is it going to end? There’s no clear objective.”
Bolick represents a growing group of young MAGA supporters who are increasingly dissatisfied with Trump’s decision to join Israel in military actions against Iran. While older supporters and war hawks have rallied behind Trump, many younger GOP supporters from 2024 feel alienated, a division that is noticeable among grassroots supporters, conservative media figures, and some White House insiders.
This generational divide was evident at CPAC, where young MAGA followers voiced their frustration and anger over the Trump administration’s decision to reignite conflict in the Middle East. As the conflict in Iran enters its second month, Trump’s tenuous support among young men threatens to destabilize the already delicate GOP coalition before a challenging midterm election in November.
At the Texas conference, some attendees showed their support for the U.S. mission by carrying Iranian flags, while others wore “America First” hats, advocating for anti-interventionism.
“Trump and Republicans in general are going to have major issues in the midterms, in 2028, if we can’t wrap this up in a relatively quick amount of time,” said Andrew Belcher, the 21-year-old president of the Ohio College Republicans. He noted that Trump is struggling with hyper-online young men influenced by media personalities like Tucker Carlson and other GOP isolationists.
A recent POLITICO poll revealed that while Trump voters largely remain supportive, there’s a significant generational split among “MAGA Republicans” regarding their trust in Trump and their views on the war, especially if U.S. casualties increase.
The poll highlighted that over 70 percent of those older than 35 believe Trump has a plan, compared to 49 percent of those younger than 35. Additionally, 66 percent of older MAGA men are willing to sacrifice American lives for U.S. goals in Iran, in contrast to less than half of younger MAGA men. The younger group is also less likely to see the war as aligned with MAGA principles or the interests of Americans.
Prominent MAGA figures like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, alongside influential personalities like Joe Rogan, oppose the Iran war and hold significant sway with young men. Tensions are also rising among younger, more-right wing White House staffers, according to an anonymous source familiar with the situation.
“They’re very frustrated. They didn’t love the war to start with, and since it began, the constantly contradictory messaging from the president himself, is just brutal, brutal for staff to deal with and making their life really hard,” the source said. “He puts his people in a really tough position, especially people who are public-facing.”
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle stated, “What matters most to the American people – including young men – is having a Commander-in-Chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing with the ongoing successful Operation Epic Fury.”
CPAC, a key grassroots event for over 50 years, aims to energize conservatives, a crucial task for party leaders in key election years. Republicans need to maintain their support among young men to prevent Democrats from flipping the House in the upcoming midterms.
“We need you,” said Michael Whatley, former RNC chair and Senate candidate in North Carolina. “We need every conservative, every Republican, every patriot across this country to focus on two things: get out the vote and protect the ballot.”
Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow for the CPAC Foundation, urged conservatives to stay united, warning, “We cannot divide from within.”
However, interviews with a dozen young men at CPAC revealed widespread concern that Trump’s policies are harming the U.S. economy, with gas and fuel prices spiking due to the war.
“A lot of the young generation feels that there’s just not a lot of hope for the economy,” said a 30-year-old attendee who spoke anonymously about party dynamics.
Many older attendees praised Trump for ending what they described as a 47-year conflict in Iran, marked by the death of Iran’s supreme leader. A panel featuring Iranian women discussing human rights abuses received enthusiastic responses from the audience, and numerous attendees wore shirts with the image of exiled Iran Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, who is scheduled to speak at the conference.
Lawrence Ligas, a 63-year-old conservative activist from Chicago pardoned by Trump for charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection, said, “I believe President Trump’s shock and awe is what they needed. Young MAGA is causing this divide because they’re concerned about being drafted.”
Speakers on stage criticized online influencers for their anti-war stance. Conservative commentator Josh Hammer specifically targeted Carlson and Kelly, labeling them “doomsayers.”
In his address, Matt Gaetz, a former Florida GOP Representative, emphasized the importance of allowing dissent and disagreement, stating, “Tucker Carlson isn’t going anywhere.” Gaetz, who resigned in 2024 after a brief nomination by Trump for attorney general, cautioned against the dangers of military occupation in Iran.
“A ground invasion of Iran will make our country poorer and less safe,” Gaetz said. “It will mean higher gas prices, higher food prices. And I’m not sure if we would end up killing more terrorists than we would create.”
Megan Messerly contributed to this report.
