Afrasianet - Right-wing nationalists and U.S. influencers acknowledge that President Donald Trump has betrayed his pledge to "America First ," the Financial Times reported.
James Fishback, a young Republican running for governor of Florida, was a big fan of Trump and will now give his presidency a rating ranging from "C+ to B-."
"Trump attacked Iran despite his pledge to stop wars"
In this context, Fishback told the newspaper that Trump was ignoring the issue of "affordability," describing his administration's handling of the Epstein files as "very bad," acknowledging that he "attacked Iran, even though he ran the election on a promise to stop foreign wars."
Fishback added that his definition of the "America First" principle is that "if it's not in the interest of American citizens, it's not America First," adding that with tensions between Washington and Tehran and the price of gasoline rising by more than $1 a gallon since the escalation began, "it's clear that this war is not in our interest."
The 31-year-old nationalist exemplifies the turmoil of the American right, where former ideological allies turn against each other with a ferocity usually reserved for their Democratic opponents.
The war on Iran was the spark that ignited the sharp disagreements that plagued Trump's MAGA alliance, and the once-supportive conservative system split into ranks, accusing him of treason and apostasy.
"There's a real civil war going on in the Republican Party right now, with some saying it's a war between the Make America Great Again movement and the America First movement.
In Tuesday's Indiana primary, he lost five of the six Republicans who opposed his request to redraw electoral district boundaries, after a well-funded campaign by pro-Trump groups to support the candidates he supported.
"Unjustified Israeli influence on US foreign policy"
But some of the country's most influential right-wing media figures, such as Tucker Carlson, who supported Fishback's candidacy for governor, Megan Kelly and Candice Owens, have parted ways with Trump over the "conflict with Iran," seeing it as a breach of his promise to stay away from new wars in the Middle East and evidence of what they see as unwarranted Israeli influence on U.S. foreign policy.
Joel Wibon, a Christian nationalist podcast anchor, wrote on the X website last month: "My generation's alliance has been wasted for Israel," the newspaper reported.
Kurt Mills, executive director of The American Conservative, said: "Nothing has dismantled the MAGA alliance more than this war of choice with Iran."
The split within the party comes at a time when Trump's approval ratings are at an all-time low in his second term, with growing evidence that he is losing the new voters who voted for him in 2024 — young, Latinos, African-Americans and independents.
That could have major implications for November's midterm elections, as the Republican Party regresses due to Trump's unpopularity, while Democrats prepare for big gains.
Carlson's intense disappointment, in particular, has shocked right-wing circles online, according to the Financial Times: "In a recent episode of his podcast, he publicly apologized for his support of Trump in the 2024 campaign, telling his brother Buckley, Trump's former speechwriter, "I would like to say that I'm sorry for misleading people."
Scott Greer, a well-known conservative writer and podcast host, said the right is witnessing a "MAGA divorce," adding, "Certainly half of the online right is very hostile to the president," adding that right-wing journalists and commentators are adjusting their messages accordingly and taking a more skeptical tone.
"If you want to be influential, you'd better be anti-Trump, because your audience is already mostly hostile to him," Greer added.
"Washington is giving billions of dollars to Israel while we are suffering"
According to the Financial Times, the Fishback campaign to succeed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has benefited from this anti-Trump shift, and while his quest for the highest office in Tallahassee is widely considered difficult, his campaign activities are drawing enthusiastic crowds.
Fishback's harsh criticism of Israel and his attacks on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran are among the most prominent features of his campaign, according to the newspaper, and in a speech to students at the University of Central Florida in Orlando last month, he promised to end all aid to Israel.
"It's wrong and bad to look a family in the eye and say there's no money for you but there's $5 billion to give to Israel to wage genocide," he said to a standing ovation, vowing to divest himself from Israeli bonds held by Florida and instead use the money to create a program to help married couples make a down payment to buy a home.
The anti-Israel rhetoric was well received by his audience, with Emma Houston, a high school student, saying, "We shouldn't be sending them billions of dollars while we, too, are in financial difficulty."
Benito Valero, who teaches biomedical sciences at the University of Central Florida, said he was impressed by Fishback's criticism of politicians who receive money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most prominent pro-Israel lobbyist in the United States, adding, "They are being manipulated, I don't think it's ethical for politics to be influenced by foreign countries like Israel."
