Donald Trump Jr. speaks at the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, U.S., September 10, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee
Donald Trump Jr. has been waging a quiet battle against his father behind closed doors, according to people who have talked with him.
President Donald Trump's eldest son has repeatedly pushed back on the Iran war in private, including in conversations with the president himself, two people who have spoken directly with him about the conflict told The Atlantic on Tuesday.
According to those sources, Trump Jr. was against the war from day one and told his father as much. They said he has long been wary of American military adventures abroad and believes the country has no business wading into yet another conflict in the Middle East.
He was also particularly close with Charlie Kirk, the late conservative activist who split with the Trump administration to oppose the war.
Trump Jr. "would never publicly break with his dad on an issue like this," a person close to him told The Atlantic, adding, "I can't imagine anyone who knows Don [Jr.] would be surprised by his personal views on the subject." A spokesman for Trump Jr. declined to comment to The Atlantic.
The White House did not address questions about Trump Jr.'s stance. An official instead offered a statement predicting "the conflict in Iran will be over very soon."
The reported dissent stands in sharp contrast to how Trump Jr. sold his father's foreign policy on the 2024 campaign trail. In April of that year, as Iran fired missiles and drones toward Israel, he mocked critics on X.
"Remember when they said Trump would get us into a full-blown war with Iran?" he wrote at the time.
The war has widened a split inside MAGA, The Atlantic noted, and "Don Jr. is the most MAGA of them all," one of the people who discussed the war with him told the outlet.
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