President Donald Trump ignored private warnings from senior aides about the potential risks of a large-scale military strike on Iran, according to a new report.
The 79-year-old president repeatedly sought out briefings on whether military action would allow to project strength domestically, but some White House officials expressed concerns that the operation could disrupt Republican chances of keeping their congressional majorities, reported Reuters.
"Top aides cautioned that U.S. intelligence did not provide a clear guarantee that escalation could be avoided once strikes began and that the administration risked tying its political fortunes to an unpredictable aftermath," Reuters reported. "Trump ultimately sided with those who believed decisive action would show him as a strong leader, even if it carried long-term risks, the officials said."
Those officials cautioned that the political fallout would be a gradual "slow-burn effect," especially if the conflict lasts a long time and carries a large number of American casualties, rather than an immediate backlash, but polling over the weekend found only one if four Americans support the strikes.
"One informal Trump adviser, who has been to the White House in recent days, argued that the main electoral danger lies not with middle-of-the-road or independent voters, but with members of Trump's MAGA movement, for whom non-interventionism was a key part of the president's pitch during the 2024 campaign," Reuters reported.
White House aides have purportedly been modeling the effects of a prolonged military operation in Iran, and they have found America casualties and higher fuel costs could endanger GOP midterm chances, especially in the U.S. House.
"A senior Republican operative working to hold onto the party's congressional majorities said foreign intervention carries more political risk than upside for Trump," Reuters reported. "Foreign policy victories oftentimes do not register with voters, though foreign policy quagmires typically do."