President Donald Trump has never been shy about confronting critics head-on — especially when the pushback comes from voices he once counted among his loudest allies. Now the president is increasingly on the defensive over his decision to launch a deadly and ongoing U.S. military strike on Iran , as cracks begin to show inside his own conservative base and fears grow that the United States could be dragged into a wider Middle East conflict. Megyn Kelly attends the Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) Trump’s frustration boiled over this week when he lashed out at two prominent supporters — podcasters and former Fox News personalities Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson — after both publicly questioned the wisdom of steering the U.S. toward what critics warn could become a prolonged and costly war with Tehran. Trump ordered the U.S. join Israel on Saturday, Feb. 28, in a bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic without any clearly stated objectives or an endgame. ‘This Is Even More Humiliating’: Rubio Jumps Into the Mess After Trump Fires Kristi Noem — and His One Tweet Turns Her Awkward Exit Into a Full-Blown Embarrassment “I have to do what’s right, No. 1 — and you can’t have Iran getting a nuclear weapon. That’s predominant to me,” Trump explained to independent journalist Rachel Bade in a phone interview on Monday March 2. He told Bade that he believes his base and MAGA voters are still firmly in his corner and that he and Kelly have disagreed in the past. “It’s all right. I don’t mind. She was critical of me for years and I didn’t lose,” he continued, before insisting that he hasn’t lost his base yet either. “I think that MAGA is Trump. MAGA’s not the other two,” he contended referring to Carlson and Kelly. Then Trump tried a familiar move — tossing out a smug reminder of his staying power while hinting that Kelly might not have the stomach to keep pressing him. “Megyn was opposed to me for years when I ran the first time and nothing stopped me,” Trump said. “And so, you know, some people are against — and they always come back. She came all the way back.” But Trump clearly misjudged who he was dealing with. Rather than quietly falling back into line the way Trump seemed to suggest she would, Kelly did the opposite. Within hours she was back behind the microphone on her podcast, digging in and warning that the United States could be walking straight into another endless foreign conflict with Tehran — the very kind of drawn-out war that Trump spent years promising his supporters he would avoid under his “America First” banner. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) “Our government’s job is not to look out for Iran or for Israel. It’s to look out for us. And this feels very much to me like it is clearly Israel’s war,” she stated.   “There are massive divisions over what we’ve done here,” she continued, “and people are going to change their minds over the coming days and weeks … but my own feeling is no one should have to die for a foreign country.” MSN readers largely agree with Kelly and Carlson, with some even suggesting the U.S. attack on Iran is part of a wider plan to declare a national emergency and cancel the midterm elections in November, possibly paving the way for a third term for Trump, something he has publicly mused over but is illegal under the U.S. Constitution. Reader Lewis H. wrote, “How is this illegal, unnecessary military action against Iran any different than Putin’s attack on Ukraine? USA and Russia both have the ability to go ‘scorched earth’ if they wanted to wipe out those countries,” he began. “I hope I’m wrong but is this the start of Trump’s agenda to never leave office. He will eventually declare a national emergency and suspend elections. Heaven help us if that’s the outcome.” Another added, “Trump knew this would tank his approval ratings, but he doesn’t care because he’s not planning on leaving office. This war with Iran was a mistake, and if any of my family were killed in Trump’s war with Iran, I’d be outraged! This disturbed man should be removed from office immediately.” Poster Deborah Harvey continued, “He promised MAGA ‘no more foreign wars,’ and, while this is not yet an official war, he talks about it as if it is. He thought he could do whatever he wanted and MAGA would cheer him on, but people don’t generally cheer about being lied to or about promises to them being broken. What a surprise!” Trump, however, is telling himself a very different story. “MAGA wants to see our country thrive and be safe. And MAGA loves what I’m doing, every aspect of it. … This is a detour that we have to take in order to keep our country safe and keep other countries safe, frankly,” he stated. Every day Trump voters are in fact questioning his operation in Iran and recent polling shows weak support for a new war in the Middle East. A Reuters/Ipsos poll taken 48 hours after the attack found just 27 percent of Americans approved of the campaign dubbed Operation Epic Fury, while 43 percent were opposed and 29 percent were unsure, according to USA Today. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Atlanta Black Star (@atlblackstar) Six service members have been killed so far and Kelly said she believes they “died for Iran or Israel.” Carlson, for his part, has been much harsher in his criticism, evening visiting the White House in the weeks before the strike trying to convince Trump to find another way, according to MSN. His overtures failed. He later told ABC’s Jon Karl that Trump’s war on Iran is “absolutely disgusting and evil.” ‘I’d Be Outraged’: Trump Picks a Fight With Megyn Kelly Over Her Pushback — Tries a Go-To Intimidation Tactic and She Drops a Savage Video That Instantly Turns the Tables ...read more read less