War Hawks led by podcaster Mark Levin are pushing Trump to bomb Iran and using misinformation to make the case: report
The disinformation-led campaign, however, is at odds with Trump's allies, who are urging him to remain diplomatic when dealing with Iran, sources told Politico.
Levin, a Fox News host whom Trump recently appointed to the 'revamped' Homeland Security Advisory Council, met with the president at the White House last Wednesday. During their meeting, Levin warned Trump that Iran was just days away from building a nuclear weapon – claims Trump's own intelligence team has said are not accurate.
Levin urged Trump to let the Israeli government bomb Iranian nuclear sites instead of completing the nuclear deal that has been in talks since April, according to the report. A successful deal, for which the two-month deadline is fast approaching, would keep Israel from striking Iran.
Israel also assured the White House that it will not attack Iran's nuclear facilities unless Trump signals that negotiations with Iran have failed, sources told Axios.
Meanwhile, Levin has long been waging a public tête-à-tête with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who also attended the meeting.
Another MAGA loyalist taking issue with Witkoff's efforts is Rupert Murdoch, whose right-leaning paper, the New York Post, has suggested that Witkoff is serving as a mouthpiece for Qatar.
The allegations against Witkoff have left Trump's inner circle agitated, as his team sees the attacks on Witkoff as undermining the talks. Meanwhile, Murdoch has also been complaining about Witkoff's efforts to friends, according to the report.
'They're trying to push the president to make a decision that's not what he wants,' a senior administration official told Politico. 'There's clearly a lobby for war with Iran vs. those who are more aligned with the president, that know he is the one that has been able to bring them to the negotiating table.'
Levin's lobbying brought on a coordinated response in defense of Trump and Witkoff's diplomacy, including from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson who slammed Levin's outlandish claims.
'There is zero credible intelligence that suggests Iran is anywhere near building a bomb, or has plans to. None,' Tucker wrote on X. 'So why is Mark Levin once again hyperventilating about weapons of mass destruction? To distract you from the real goal, which is regime change – young Americans heading back to the Middle East to topple yet another government.'
Trump, who ran on the promise to end 'endless wars,' is now stuck in the middle, leaving some allies unsure of whether he will stand his ground or break.
'Levin and Murdoch are all over Trump all the time — I actually think they hurt their case because I know Trump,' one longtime Trump confidant told Politico. 'Once he's kind of made his mind up, you can come at it later from a different angle, but you keep pressing, he digs in.'
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Politico that Trump 'has always been willing to listen to a wide range of voices on every issue – but ultimately, he is the final decision maker.'
'With respect to Iran, President Trump has made his own opinion clear: he would like to pursue diplomacy and make a deal, but IF Iran makes a deal impossible, President Trump has options on the table,' she said.
Trump sounded skeptical on Monday about a potential Iran deal, telling reporters that the Iranians are 'just asking for things that you cannot do.'
'They do not want to give up what they have to give up — you know what that is: They seek enrichment. We can't have enrichment,' he said. 'We want just the opposite. And so far they are not there. I hate to say that because the alternative is a very, very dire one.'
Other MAGA figures such as Charlie Kirk and Jack Posobiec have also urged Trump to stick to diplomacy, while Vice President JD Vance also came to Witkoff's defense after the meeting, the Politico report noted. Trump's team is set to have more talks with Iran on Thursday.
Witcoff recently gave Iran a proposal that would allow Tehran to enrich uranium at low levels but eventually become part of a regional consortium, according to Politico.
With Trump now in the middle, people on both sides of the debate are unsure whether he will press on for diplomacy or change his mind, as he's done before. Trump, who has threatened to bomb Iran if they don't agree, could end up acting on the threat at the last minute.
'[Trump is] very solid in what he wants and letting Witkoff do his thing,' one person close to the talks told Politico. 'But depending on who he hears from, he may move a little bit.'
Trump's current favoritism of diplomacy over military action also shines a light on the growing rift between Washington and Israel as the two nations stay at odds over Iran.
'The president is not going to support war… But I'm telling you, these guys won't take no for an answer,' a longtime Trump ally told Politico. 'This is why there's a breach in the Bibi-President Trump relationship. ... Israel isn't reading the room. The MAGA movement doesn't support military operations.'
The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.
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