Young MAGA men who voted for Trump are calling him a liar at CPAC over the Iran war, and the generational split is threatening GOP midterm hopes

Young MAGA men are openly criticizing President Donald Trump over the ongoing war in Iran, bringing their frustrations to CPAC this week in Grapevine, Texas. This visible generational divide is creating a real challenge for the Republican party as the midterm elections approach in November.

According to Politico, Joseph Bolick, a 30-year-old veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, feels betrayed by President Trump because of the conflict. Bolick, who voted for Trump in 2024, attended CPAC wearing an “America First” hat – a slogan Trump championed alongside promises to avoid new foreign wars. “He’s lied about everything,” Bolick stated, adding, “If you go into a war where there’s no end game, how is it going to end? There’s no clear objective.”

Bolick is part of a growing group of young MAGA loyalists who are frustrated with President Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran. While the move has support from war hawks and many older Trump supporters, it has clearly alienated many of the young men who helped swing the GOP to victory in 2024. This split is echoing through conservative media and even within some corners of the White House.

The generational divide over Iran is becoming a real electoral problem for Republicans

The split was clearly visible at CPAC, where some attendees carried Iranian flags in support of the U.S. mission, while others wore “America First” hats signaling opposition to foreign intervention. Andrew Belcher, the 21-year-old president of the Ohio College Republicans, warned that “Trump and Republicans in general are going to have major issues in the midterms, in 2028, if we can’t wrap this up in a relatively quick amount of time.” 

He noted that Trump is doing “relatively poorly” with younger, online men who are heavily influenced by Tucker Carlson and other isolationists. A recent poll found that MAGA men who voted for Trump in 2024 are deeply split by generation on their trust in him and their views on the war. 

More than 70 percent of MAGA men over 35 believe Trump has a plan for the war, compared to only 49 percent of those under 35. Similarly, 66 percent of older MAGA men are willing to sacrifice American lives for U.S. goals in Iran, while less than half of younger MAGA men agree. The tensions have only grown as Iran continues firing despite major U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Prominent voices like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Joe Rogan are speaking out against the Iran war, and there is growing unease among younger White House staffers. One person familiar with the internal dynamics said anonymously that “They’re very frustrated. They didn’t love the war to start with, and since it began, the constantly contradictory messaging from the president himself, is just brutal, brutal for staff to deal with.”

They added that Trump “puts his people in a really tough position, especially people who are public-facing.” The White House, however, is standing firm. Spokesperson Davis Ingle stated, “What matters most to the American people, including young men, is having a Commander-in-Chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump is doing with the ongoing successful Operation Epic Fury.”

Older CPAC attendees celebrated Trump’s actions, with 63-year-old conservative activist Lawrence Ligas saying, “I believe President Trump’s shock and awe is what they needed.” This comes even as Iran struck a Saudi base after Trump said talks were going well, sending 10 American troops to the hospital. Former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz defended the right to dissent, telling the audience that “dissent and disagreement has to be allowed.