Conservatives warn of 'defining moment' that may forever change GOP amid party infighting
The Republican Party is tearing itself apart over the ongoing Iran conflict, with heavy-hitting conservative voices locked in a brutal battle that one insider warns could reshape the GOP forever.
Megyn Kelly and Mark Levin, two of the right's most influential media figures, have devolved into name-calling, with Kelly accusing war supporters of being "Israel firsters" and Levin firing back by calling her an "emotionally unhinged, lewd and petulant wreck." The gloves-off feud signals a deeper fracture within the MAGA movement over America's three-week-old military action alongside Israel, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
Trump sided with Levin, warning on Truth Social that those badmouthing Levin would "quickly fall by the wayside" and declaring anti-war Republicans "ARE NOT MAGA, I AM." His allies, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), plus media star Ben Shapiro, have launched scorching attacks on war critics, labeling them "cowards" and "America haters."
But the opposition has proven equally fierce.
Tucker Carlson has hawked merchandise with anti-Israel slogans, while figures ranging from Trump-voting podcaster Joe Rogan to Andrew Sullivan have raised alarm bells about the conflict serving foreign interests rather than American ones.
"The internecine brawling could also inject an element of drama to the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference this month in Dallas,' The Times warned.
Polling shows support for the Jewish state is collapsing, especially among younger Republicans.
Conservative Israel supporter Laurie Cardoza Moore, a critic of Carlson's, summed up the stakes.
“This is going to be the defining moment of the Republican Party, of the conservative movement,” she warned.