Older and younger conservatives at CPAC are split over Trump’s war in Iran

GRAPE VINEYARD, Texas — A generational divide over the Iran war emerged Thursday between older attendees and their political heirs at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, as the group’s leaders pleaded for unity in a tough midterm election year for Republicans.

Young conservatives spoke of disappointment and even “betrayal” over President Donald Trump’s strikes against Iran, saying in interviews with The Associated Press that the president’s actions went against his many promises to oppose foreign interference.

Meanwhile, older conservatives looked beyond the Trump campaign’s criticism of military action aimed at overthrowing foreign regimes, arguing that the war in Iran is a pragmatic act forced by threats against the United States.

The clear dividing line emerged in conversations with a dozen attendees from both ends of the age spectrum gathered for the conservatives’ annual meeting, which was being held outside Dallas. The divide could reflect a decline in enthusiasm for Trump among some young voters, a potentially troubling sign for Republicans heading into the midterm elections and for the conservative movement looking to grow beyond Trump’s term.

“We didn’t want to see more wars. We wanted real America First policies, and Trump has been very vocal about that,” said Benjamin Williams, 25, a marketing specialist for Young Americans for Liberty. “It feels like a betrayal, that’s for sure.”

Williams, a native of Austin, Texas, worries about his military friends, especially his Air Force officer brother. More broadly, he views the war as an unnecessary disruption of stability in the Middle East, likely to have long-term negative effects on the U.S. economy.

“Trump’s speech was very important to people of my generation,” Williams said.

Auburn University sophomore Sean O’Brien’s support for Trump has waned, especially with talk of sending U.S. troops to the Middle East. “I’m not happy,” he said.

Sending troops to Iran, he said, “would be a complete betrayal.”

As the U.S. military prepares to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, O’Brien said, “This is what keeps me up at night.” »

Older CPAC attendees were much more forgiving, describing Trump as having responded wisely to what they described as the threat posed by Iran. Many, in fact, have suggested that Trump did not start the war, but that it was Iran that did so decades ago.

“I don’t believe he started a new war. He was acting in response to a war that Iran has been waging for 40 years,” said Joe Ropar, a 70-year-old retired defense contractor from McKinney, Texas. “How long were we supposed to wait? I think he did what he had to do when he had to.”

“Do nothing? I don’t agree with that,” Ropar said.

Echoing a common theme among older attendees, Kelle Phillips said Trump’s decision was a pragmatic reaction to a real threat that quashes the best hopes of campaign rhetoric.

“You campaign on what you want to do and then the dynamics of the world happen,” said Phillips, a 61-year-old author and religious instructor from Frisco, Texas. “I think the difference is if there is someone in the Iranian regime who wants to destroy America. You can’t reason with them.”

Trump’s goals in Iran, as James Scharre believes, are short-term and of no concern to those opposed to lengthy work abroad.

Scharre, 61, also interprets Trump’s initial opposition to overthrowing the government as a preference and not an ironclad promise.

“I think he said he was against it,” he said. “Trump is a wise leader. He does what works. And I’m for it.”

Cracks within the conservative coalition began to appear early in the war, led by influential thought leaders like podcaster Tucker Carlson.

This month, Joe Kent, director of the Counterterrorism Center at the Department of Homeland Security, left his post in the Trump administration, saying in his departure statement that “I cannot, in good conscience, support the ongoing war in Iran” and that “Iran poses no imminent threat to our nation.”

Right-wing podcaster Steve Bannon, scheduled to speak at CPAC, worried aloud that prolonged military engagement in the Middle East would cost Republicans support by causing some conservatives to sit out the November midterm elections.

This comes at a time when Republican control of the House of Representatives is under threat and the slim Republican majority in the Senate is no longer as secure as it was a year ago.

A recent survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that even if Trump’s approval rating remains stable, the conflict could turn into a major political liability for his administration. About 59 percent of Americans believe U.S. military action in Iran has been excessive, according to the poll.

CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp acknowledged that conservatives were divided on Iran and said the convention’s annual poll would include a question on it. The results will be revealed on Saturday, the last day of the convention.

“Any consensus is yet to be determined. I think people trust President Trump, so I don’t think his support has been shaken,” Schlapp told the AP. “But I think deep down there is a concern about where this is going.”

Tiffany Krieger, a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh, said her level 10 support for Trump dropped to five over the course of the war.

“It seems like the love for him is plateauing. We see our party dividing and we’re supposed to be united,” said Krieger, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “I think this war issue has put a damper on the conservative movement.”

Almost speaking directly to Krieger, Mercedes Schlapp, a senior fellow at the CPAC Foundation, opened Thursday’s session of the conference in Texas with a direct call.

“We cannot divide from within,” she declared in front of hundreds of people from the stage of the convention center. Referring to political opponents, she added: “Let’s stay united. They want us to be divided.”