Benny Johnson allegedly calls out neocons over their support for the Iran war. A brutal Community Note apparently forced him to delete it

Benny Johnson appears to have run into an uncomfortable reminder of his own past comments about the Iran war. The conservative commentator allegedly deleted a post criticizing neoconservatives after a Community Note highlighted his own support for U.S. military action against Tehran in the early stages of the conflict.

The controversy surfaced after PatriotTakes shared a screenshot of Johnson’s now-deleted post on X. In it, Johnson called for neoconservatives to lose their influence over political decisions and Republican conventions. “Neocons must never be allowed to have a say in any decision ever again,” Johnson wrote, according to the screenshot. “Rescind their invitations to conventions. Cancel their speeches. Full divorce. They’re a cancer,” he added. 

However, the post had seemingly attracted a Community Note pointing to Johnson’s previous comments celebrating the military campaign against Iran. The note said he had praised Trump’s actions during an appearance on Fox News, joking that the president was essentially telling Iran, “Hormuz your daddy?” PatriotTakes claimed Johnson deleted the post after the note appeared. As of writing, Johnson did not challenge the authenticity of the screenshot. 

Benny Johnson had celebrated the early strikes on Iran, but his mood shifted as the war progressed

Johnson’s earlier comments provide some context for the backlash. When the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28, he was among the conservative commentators who backed Trump’s approach.

On March 12, Johnson even suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz the Strait of America. “Can we rename the Straits of Hormuz the Straits of America, please?” he said. “Are we there yet? We should be there.”

But his position appeared to change as the conflict dragged on beyond initial expectations. By April, Johnson was questioning whether Israel had misled Trump into entering the war, asking whether the country had lied to the president to secure American involvement. But in August, he appeared enthusiastic about the war on Fox News and said, “Donald Trump is looking at Iran and saying Hormuz your daddy.”

That said, he resumed criticizing the war in the months that followed. The allegedly deleted post appeared to be another example of that criticism. However, users were quick to remind him that he had initially supported the military action.

Johnson’s shift comes as Trump faces growing pressure over the conflict. After Republicans suffered a major setback in the midterm elections, the president announced that future US attacks on Iran are “highly unlikely”, according to the BBC. He has reportedly asked his aides about firing Pete Hegseth over the war, even though he continues to back the Secretary of War publicly.

Trump described Iran’s military capabilities as “effectively over” while insisting that American forces remained ready to resume operations if necessary.

The president also said several Gulf countries had urged Washington against launching further attacks. However, he intends to maintain the naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz.

The war’s economic consequences, particularly higher gasoline prices and the broader cost-of-living impact, have become significant political liabilities for Republicans. Vice President JD Vance also acknowledged that the conflict had contributed to rising costs for Americans.