Meet the Press Daily host Chuck Todd on Wednesday said 90% of the time Trumps base just basically says whatever he says and blindly follow.
But not with regard to Trumps now-paused escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, he pointed out.
There is a split, said Todd, noting how Fox News host Tucker Carlson and GOP Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Rand Paul (Ky.) are among the prominent conservatives who have publicly opposed the president on the issue.
Yeah, you have the battle of the hawks versus the doves within the party itself, said Steele, who served as the RNC chair from 2009 to 2011 and has since become a fierce critic of Trump and his administration.
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And so, yeah, theyre willing to step out there a little bit more and push up against that, he said. Why? Because [] they can take the president on with something like this without losing any points because theyve always kind of occupied this space and everybody kind of bakes them into the narrative.
Lee and Paul on Wednesday both blasted a classified Senate briefing on action against Iran, where the Trump administration reportedly told GOP lawmakers not to publicly debate the topic.
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Both lawmakers subsequently vowed to support limiting Trumps ability to take further military action without the approval of Congress. Lee described it as probably the worst briefing , at least on a military issue, Ive seen in my nine years, adding the instruction to remain silent was insulting and demeaning.
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Foxs Carlson, meanwhile, has repeatedly used his prime time show on the widely watched conservative network to rail against further U.S. military incursions in the Middle East.
Steele on Monday warned the GOP would end up owning any war with Iran, saying they need to be careful. You can cheerlead the president, but do you really know what he wants to do here, in the middle of a 17-year narrative, and how itll play out? Steele told The Washington Post. No, you dont.
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The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
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The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. We hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
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