CPAC’s annual gathering outside Dallas has become a forum for a new internal test for Republicans: whether Trump’s decision to order strikes against Iran fits the movement’s “America-first” promises. While conference leaders urged unity, multiple attendees described a clear generational split on the war’s purpose and urgency, with younger conservatives voicing concerns that the conflict contradicts Trump’s stated opposition to foreign entanglements.
Younger attendees said they expected Trump to avoid getting drawn deeper into Middle East wars, and they described their reactions as both personal and political. Benjamin Williams, 25, said he and others his age did not want “more wars” and expected “actual America-first policies,” adding that Trump’s actions “does feel like a betrayal, for sure,” in part because they run counter to pledges he associated with Trump.
Williams, who lives in Austin, described worries about the effect on military personnel, including his Air Force officer brother. He also said the Iran conflict threatens stability in the region and could disrupt the U.S. economy, and he described Trump’s rhetoric as important to his generation.
Others on the younger end said their support for Trump has cooled as discussion intensified around sending additional U.S. troops into the Middle East. Auburn University sophomore Sean O’Brien said he was “not happy,” and he argued that “Sending troops into Iran … would be full betrayal,” saying the possibility “keeps me up at night.”
In contrast, several older attendees said they were looking past Trump’s campaign criticism of military action and focusing instead on what they described as a real threat Iran poses. Retired defense contractor Joe Ropar, 70, said he “don’t believe he started a new war,” arguing that Iran’s actions are part of a conflict spanning decades, and he said “How long were we supposed to wait?” Ropar added that he would not support “Do nothing.”
Kelle Phillips, 61, said Trump’s decision reflected pragmatic choices shaped by world dynamics rather than campaign talk. She said those dynamics include the belief that an Iranian leadership she described as an “iranian regime” that wants to destroy America cannot be reasoned with, and she described Trump’s approach as responding to threats.
Some supporters also characterized Trump’s past campaign positions as flexible rather than absolute, arguing that opposition to government overthrow was preference rather than promise. James Scharre, 61, said he expects Trump’s aims in Iran to be short-term, and he said he does not read Trump’s earlier language as an ironclad pledge, adding, “Trump is a wise leader.”
The divisions at CPAC also reflected broader cracks in the conservative coalition that appeared early in the war, according to the report’s account. It cited influential voices, including podcaster Tucker Carlson, and it described other disruptions tied to Iran policy, including the resignation of Joe Kent from the Trump administration role at the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Counterterrorism.
The report also said right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon has expressed concern that a prolonged Middle East engagement could cost Republicans support in the November midterms, and it tied that worry to the party’s electoral challenges, including jeopardy for the GOP’s House position and a thin Senate majority. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey described in the report found that while Trump’s approval rating is holding steady, about 59% of Americans said U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive.
As conference organizers sought to keep the movement aligned, CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp acknowledged publicly that conservatives were divided. He said the annual straw poll would include a question about the issue and that the results would be released Saturday, the convention’s final day, and he said he did not think Trump’s support has shaken even as “underneath there’s concern about where does this lead.”
Some attendees said that concern was already affecting personal and political calculus. Tiffany Krieger, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, said her “onetime level-10 support” for Trump has dipped to five over the war, describing it as part of a party “splitting apart” even as conservatives are told they must be united. She said the war has put “a line through the conservative movement.”
Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow for the CPAC foundation, opened Thursday’s session on stage with a direct appeal to unity, telling an audience of hundreds: “We cannot divide from within.” She added, referring to political opponents, “Let’s stay united. They want us divided.”