Young supporters of President Donald Trump voiced frustration over the ongoing war in Iran during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Grapevine, Texas, revealing a generational split in the Republican base. One month into U.S. strikes alongside Israel, attendees debated interventionism while older conservatives cheered the campaign. Trump skipped the event for the first time in a decade amid these tensions.
The annual Conservative Political Action Conference wrapped up in Grapevine, Texas, on March 28, 2026, with stark divisions over President Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran. Joseph Bolick, a 30-year-old Iraq and Afghanistan veteran who voted for Trump in 2024, wore an “America First” hat and accused the president of betrayal. “He’s lied about everything,” Bolick said. “If you go into a war where there’s no end game, how is it going to end? There’s no clear objective.” Bolick, who has supported Trump since 2016, now opposes him due to the conflict’s lack of clear goals and its impact on the U.S. economy, including spiking gas prices. Young men echoed these concerns, with 21-year-old Andrew Belcher, president of the Ohio College Republicans, warning that prolonged fighting could hurt Republicans in the November midterms. A POLITICO poll showed younger MAGA men under 35 are less trusting of Trump’s plan—49 percent believe he has one, compared to over 70 percent of those over 35—and less willing to sacrifice American lives. Influencers like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Joe Rogan have criticized the war, swaying online youth. One anonymous White House staffer described frustration among younger aides over Trump’s “constantly contradictory messaging.” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the operation, calling it “successful Operation Epic Fury” to eliminate threats. Older attendees, like 63-year-old Lawrence Ligas, praised Trump’s “shock and awe” approach, linking it to the death of Iran’s supreme leader. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz cautioned against a ground invasion: “A ground invasion of Iran will make our country poorer and less safe. It will mean higher gas prices, higher food prices.” Trump’s absence from CPAC highlighted questions about party unity, with a straw poll favoring Vice President JD Vance at 53 percent for 2028. Despite rifts, a Pew Research Center survey found nearly eight in 10 Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the war.
