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Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Major Donald Trump sports ally divides opinion with his take on bombing of Iranian nuclear sites
Auburn basketball coach and loyal Donald Trump supporter Bruce Pearl has divided social media with his support of the president's bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Trump announced US military launched a 'very successful attack' on Saturday night on three Iranian nuclear sites including the Fordo uranium enrichment plant, as Washington joined Israel's air campaign against Tehran. Trump said on social media that a 'full payload of BOMBS' was dropped on the highly-secretive, underground facility at Fordo. He then said in a televised address to the nation that the key nuclear sites belonging to 'the bully of the Middle East' had been 'completely and fully obliterated' by the attack. Pearl, a passionate Trump supporter, took to social media to heap praise on the president and America's military personnel. He wrote: 'Thank you Mr president for your strength and vision, keeping us safe. Proud of our troops! 'You did what no one has had the courage to do for far too long. You were patient and clear. Pray for Peace through prosperity in the Middle East, expand now on the AA. You prevented a War'. But fans quickly flooded his replies with divided opinions. One of those in agreement with Pearl replied to his post: 'Love me some Coach Bruce Pearl! Always appreciate courage to call it like it is.' A second posted: 'Thank you coach Pearl for always standing tall for America because it takes a strong man to have the guts to stand up for your beliefs'. A third said they 'could not have said it any better'. But not all of the replies were positive. One user who disagreed with his position told Pearl to 'stick to basketball'. Another critic commented: 'Bruce - you may want to stick to hoops. Not sure how this prevents war? More than likely the exact opposite.' It comes just days after Pearl was also thrilled to see how Trump has been handling the country's border security. 'We didn't need new laws, we just needed a president that would enforce the ones we already had! President @realDonaldTrump is making America safe again!,' he wrote on X. Pearl, who previously slammed Kamala Harris for her 'woke progressive beliefs,' expressed his support for legal immigration in November after Trump had won a second term in office. 'President Trump won big because more Americans believed he will fix Inflation, secure our border, support legal immigration, bring peace to the world through strength and put America first,' he said on X. 'I pray and I believe he will work for all Americans, uniting us as one nation under God!' The fresh US military entanglement in the Middle East comes despite Trump's promises to avoid another of his country's 'forever wars' in the region. Iran had vowed to retaliate against US forces in the region if Washington got involved. 'We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan,' Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' Trump added that 'all planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors.' Trump announced a little before 8 p.m. Saturday that the United States had dropped bombs on three nuclear sites in Iran - after on Thursday giving himself two weeks to make a decision on whether the U.S. would join Israel's war with the Islamic regime Iranian media confirmed that part of the Fordo plant as well as the Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites were attacked. Trump spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the attacks, while the United States also gave key ally Israel a 'heads up' before the strikes, a senior White House official said. In a second post announcing his address to the nation from the White House, Trump said that 'IRAN MUST NOW AGREE TO END THIS WAR.' He described it as a 'historic' moment for the United States, Israel and the world.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump's saber-rattling over Iran threatens to split his Maga base
Prospects of the US joining Israel's strikes against Iran's nuclear program risks splitting Donald Trump's support base asunder, amid sharp divisions on military intervention between the president's most avid America-first acolytes and traditional Republican foreign policy hawks. Some leading figures in Trump's 'make America great again' (Mega) movement have warned that such a move would amount to a betrayal of past promises to avoid US involvement in long-running overseas wars and could even destroy his presidency. Among the most vocal critics are the broadcaster and interviewer Tucker Carlson – who hosts a show broadcast on Elon Musk's X platform – and Steve Bannon, a former White House adviser in Trump's first term and a standard bearer of his economic and anti-immigration nationalism. Carlson, a former Fox News host, voiced fierce opposition on Bannon's War Room podcast on Monday. 'I think we're going to see the end of American empire,' Carlson said. 'But it's also going to end, I believe, Trump's presidency – effectively end it – and so that's why I'm saying this. 'You're not going to convince me that the Iranian people are my enemy. It's Orwell, man. I'm a free man. You're not going to tell me who to hate.' Bannon – a manager of Trump's 2016 election campaign – said Trump would wreck his domestic agenda of deporting undocumented immigrants if he ordered US forces to strike Iran's uranium-enrichment facilities. 'If we get sucked into this war, which inexorably looks like it's going to happen on the combat side, it's going to not just blow up the coalition, it's also going to thwart the most important thing, which is the deportation of the illegal alien invaders who are here,' he said. Trump made criticism of US 'forever wars' – particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan – a mainstay of his 2016 election message and has maintained that posture ever since, although he has frequently sent out mixed messages on Iran. On Tuesday, he demanded 'unconditional surrender' from the country's theocratic rulers over their nuclear program – a message conveying the impression that US military action to bomb the facilities could be imminent. While he has repeatedly said that Iran must be prevented from having a nuclear weapon, he has also expressed a desire to negotiate a deal – despite having withdrawn in 2018 from a previous agreement negotiated during Barack Obama's presidency. Maga confusion over Trump's current stance was embodied in the comments of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and one of the president's most loyal activists. 'No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy,' he posted on X. 'Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war.' In a separate post, he said: 'The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible.' Skepticism has also been voiced by rightwing Republicans in Congress, notably Marjorie Taylor Greene, the pro-Trump representative from Georgia, who defended Carlson after Trump called his pronouncements 'kooky'. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction,' she wrote on X. 'That's not kooky. That's what millions of Americans voted for. It's what we believe is America First.' The Washington Post quoted an unnamed former Pentagon official as saying the conflict between Israel and Iran had brought the America First movement to an 'inflection point.' 'A lot of people in the Maga movement, ones that have really invested a lot in electing Trump and [vice-president] Vance, will be incredibly disappointed if this turns into a larger war, and it will lead to some fractures,' said the official, adding that many Trump supporters were afraid to express a 'bubbling frustration with Israel' for fear of being labeled antisemitic. The ex-official added: 'I would argue that Iran is the defining issue on the political right right now. It's not trade. It's not spending. It's not even the culture war stuff. It is foreign policy, and specifically Iran.' Her sentiments were echoed by Rand Paul, a Republican senator for Kentucky, who said: 'Diplomacy comes from restraint. The president has shown restraint in the past … And I'm hoping the president will not get involved in the war.' Pitted against them are establishment Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, the former leader in the Senate, who has previously warned Trump of the dangers of 'isolationism'. 'What's happening here is some of the isolationist movement led by Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon are distressed we may be helping the Israelis defeat the Iranians,' McConnell told CNN, noting that it had been 'kind of a bad week for isolationists' in the GOP. Two other pro-Trump loyalist in the Senate, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Tom Cotton of Arkansas, have also been hawkish for action on Iran. Graham said the administration should 'go all in' in destroying Iran's nuclear facilities. 'If that means providing bombs, provide bombs,' he told CBS's Face the Nation. 'If that means flying with Israel, fly with Israel.'
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
A Tucker-Trump Tiff, With Fox News Caught in the Crossfire
President Trump's growing support for the Israeli attack on Iran has created a divide among his usual allies in the right-wing media world — one that has not gone unnoticed by the White House. In interviews posted on Monday, Tucker Carlson and Stephen K. Bannon warned Mr. Trump against American military involvement in the Middle East, invoking the specter of the Iraq War. 'I am really afraid that my country is going to be further weakened by this,' Mr. Carlson said on Mr. Bannon's 'War Room' podcast. 'I think we are going to see the end of American empire.' The president dismissed those comments by needling Mr. Carlson about his ouster from Fox News. 'I don't know what Tucker Carlson is saying,' Mr. Trump said at the G7 summit in Canada on Monday. 'Let him go get a television network and say it so that people listen.' Later, on social media, he described Mr. Carlson as 'kooky.' Although Mr. Carlson lost his prime-time perch on Fox News in 2023, he has amassed a substantial following as an independent commentator with his podcast and YouTube program. In the interview with Mr. Bannon, he extended his criticisms of Mr. Trump to the cable network that fired him. 'The one theme that runs longitudinally through the history of Fox is the promotion of wars that don't help the United States,' Mr. Carlson said, though he hastened to add that he personally liked Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, who control the network, and remained friendly with them. Mr. Carlson was less kind to several of his former colleagues. He called Mark Levin, the conservative pundit and Trump loyalist, 'screechy,' and then delivered an unflattering impression of Mr. Levin's speaking style. 'It's like listening to your ex-wife scream about alimony payments,' Mr. Carlson said, marveling that Fox News had allowed Mr. Levin to host a weekend show. Mr. Carlson's critique of his former employer was centered on what he deemed its on-air support of American military intervention abroad. 'What they are doing is what they always do,' he said of Fox News, 'which is just turning up the propaganda hose, to full blast, and just trying to knock elderly Fox viewers off their feet and make them submit to more wars.' Fox News did not respond to Mr. Carlson's comments. The exchange between Mr. Carlson and Mr. Bannon reflected a broader divide in the Republican Party over America's involvement in the Iran conflict. Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist, described 'a major schism in the MAGA online community' over the issue. Mr. Carlson is in the isolationist camp; a more hawkish faction has long called for military engagement in Iran. In a post last Friday on X, Mr. Carlson had described Sean Hannity, Mr. Levin and Rupert Murdoch as 'warmongers.' Speaking with Mr. Bannon, Mr. Carlson said that when he worked with Mr. Hannity and Mr. Levin, they were always nice to him.
Fox News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Ex-MLB star says he would 'no longer support' Trump if US goes to war
Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart was a staunch supporter of Donald Trump as he defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris for the White House in the 2024 presidential election. But the one-time MLB All-Star drew a line in his support for the president on Monday as Trump called for mass evacuations in Tehran while tensions between Israel and Iran escalated. "If Trump gets us in a war, I will no longer support him, and I'm sure most of you know I love Trump," Cozart wrote in a post on X. Trump is set to depart the G7 summit in Canada on Monday night because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. "President Trump had a great day at the G7, even signing a major trade deal with the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Keir Starmer," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "Much was accomplished, but because of what's going on in the Middle East, President Trump will be leaving tonight after dinner with Heads of State." Trump has requested that the National Security Council be prepared in the situation room for his return, Fox News has learned. Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer dismissed reports the U.S. military was joining Israel in an attack on Iran. "This is not true. American forces are maintaining their defensive posture, and that has not changed. We will defend American interests," Pfeiffer wrote on X. Cozart came out in support of Trump ahead of the president's speech at the Republican National Convention nearly a year ago. "I dunno bout yall but I can't wait to vote for Trump… I've honestly never seen the party as united as now… they tried to kill our President … least we can do is VOTE!!" he wrote. Cozart played in Major League Baseball from 2011 to 2019. The Tennessee native was a second-round pick of the Reds in 2007. He played with the Los Angeles Angels for the final two years of his career in 2018 and 2019. He was an All-Star in 2017 when he hit 24 home runs, drove in 63 runs and hit .297. He played in 839 career games, batted .247 with a .300 on-base percentage and a .699 OPS with 87 career home runs and 305 RBI. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump-backed Jack Ciattarelli captures GOP nomination for New Jersey governor
HOLMDEL, N.J. - The candidate President Donald Trump recently endorsed in New Jersey has won the state's Republican gubernatorial primary, in the 2025 race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. The Associated Press projects that Jack Ciattarelli, a former GOP state lawmaker who is making his third bid for New Jersey governor, will capture the Republican nomination, topping four rivals in Tuesday's primary in a race that for months had been a battle for Trump's support. Among those Cittarelli defeated were former businessman and popular conservative talk radio host Bill Spadea and state Sen. Jon Bramnick, a lawyer who served for a decade as state Assembly GOP leader. Ciattarelli and Spadea spent months trading fire over which of them was a bigger Trump supporter. But last month the president endorsed Cittarelli, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP nomination in 2017, but four years later he captured the nomination and overperformed in the general election, coming close to ousting Murphy. "I'm asking you to get out and vote for a true champion for the people of your state – Jack Ciattarelli. He's been a friend of mine, and he's been a real success story," Trump told supporters a week ago, as he dialed into a tele-rally on the eve of the kick-off of early voting in New Jersey. Trump's grip over the GOP is stronger than ever following his convincing White House re-election victory last November, and Cittarrelli, in a Fox News Digtal interview last week, said the president's endorsement was "a really big deal" and added "the president's doing very, very well in New Jersey." Spadea said that not landing Trump's endorsement "was certainly disappointing." "I mean, we made no bones about this. We absolutely wanted the president's endorsement. Unfortunately, the president endorsed a poll and not a plan," Spadea told Fox News Digital last week. "I have been a supporter of President Trump since he came down the escalator," as he referenced Trump's announcement in 2015 of his first presidential campaign. "There is no question that I am the common-sense conservative. I am the actual Republican in this primary," Spadea claimed. And Spadea questioned Ciattarelli's support for Trump, arguing that his rival "has disrespected him [Trump] for the better part of the last eight years…We thought that that endorsement would have been better served with me." Four years ago, after he won the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Ciattarelli, when asked if he was seeking the then-former president's endorsement, told Fox News Digital "there's only one endorsement I seek, and that's the endorsement of the voters of New Jersey. That's the only one that matters." Fast-forward to 2025, and Ciattarelli emphasized that "people really appreciate what he [Trump] is doing for New Jerseyans. He's put a temporary hold on the wind farms off the Jersey Shore. He's beating up on the New York Democrats over congestion pricing. He supports a quadrupling of the SALT [state and local tax] deduction on our federal tax returns. Those are big deals to New Jersey, and that's why he's got so much great support here. And I'm honored to have his endorsement." Asked why Trump endorsed him rather than Spadea, Ciattarelli said that "the president wants to win. He knows that I provide the best opportunity to win in November." "He knows we're going to raise the necessary money. We've raised more money than the other five Republican gubernatorial candidates combined," added Ciattarelli, a certified public accountant who started a medical publishing company before getting into politics. Ciattarelli's fundraising allowed him to dominate the GOP primary ad wars. The Democratic Governors Association, pointing to the rush to embrace Trump by the top two candidates, long described the 2025 Republican showdown as a "MAGA battle" and argued that there's "extremism in the GOP primary." While New Jersey has long leaned toward the Democrats, Republicans have had success in gubernatorial elections. "It's not a blue state when it comes to governor races, Republicans have won six of the last 11. That's better than 50%," Ciattarelli said. Trump, who for years has spent summer weekends at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, held a very large campaign rally last year in Wildwood, N.J. And he improved from a 16-point loss in the state in the 2020 election to a 6-point deficit last November. Ciattarelli, looking ahead to the general election campaign, said he's "really looking forward" to Trump's "active participation…I think New Jerseyans are anxious to have him on the campaign trail with me and help deliver a win for us in November."
