MAGA faithful cheer Trump for pausing Ukraine weapons after bristling at Iran strikes
This week's announcement pausing deliveries of key air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment to Ukraine comes just a few weeks after Trump ordered the U.S. military to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Bombing those sites in Iran had some hardcore supporters of the 'Make America Great Again' movement openly questioning whether Trump was betraying his vow to keep America out of 'stupid wars' as he inserted the U.S. military into Israel's conflict with Tehran.
With the Ukraine pause, which affects a crucial resupply of Patriot missiles, Trump is sending the message to his most enthusiastic backers that he is committed to following through on his campaign pledge to wind down American support for Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia, a conflict he has repeatedly described as a costly boondoggle for U.S. taxpayers.
'The choice was this: either prioritize equipping our own troops with a munition in short supply (and which was used to defend U.S. troops last week) or provide them to a country where there are limited U.S. interests,' Dan Caldwell, who was ousted as a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, posted on X.
Caldwell publicly worried before the Iran strikes that U.S. involvement could incite a major war and ultimately cost American lives.
Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec, another ardent MAGA backer, warned as Trump weighed whether to carry out strikes on Iran last month that such a move 'would disastrously split the Trump coalition.'
He was quick to cheer the news about pausing some weapons deliveries to Ukraine: 'America FIRST,' Posobiec posted on X.
Both the White House and the Pentagon have justified the move as being consistent with Trump's campaign pledge to limit U.S. involvement in foreign wars.
'The president was elected on an America first platform to put America first,' Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said.
At the same time, the decision is stirring anxiety among those in the more hawkish wing of the Republican Party. Many are flummoxed by Trump's halting the flow of U.S. arms just as Russia accelerates its unrelenting assault on Ukraine.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who hails from a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, wrote to Trump and the Pentagon on Wednesday expressing 'serious concern' about the decision and requesting an emergency briefing.
'We can't let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin prevail now. President Trump knows that too and it's why he's been advocating for peace,' Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, wrote on X. 'Now is the time to show Putin we mean business. And that starts with ensuring Ukraine has the weapons Congress authorized to pressure Putin to the negotiating table.'
Trump spoke by phone with Putin on Thursday, the sixth call between the leaders since Trump's return to office. The leaders discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues but did not specifically address the suspension of some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser.
Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he hopes to talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension.
The administration says it is part of global review of the U.S. stockpile and is a necessary audit after sending nearly $70 billion in arms to Ukraine since Putin launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022.
The pause was coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby.
Colby, before taking his position, spoke publicly about the need to focus U.S. strategy more on China, widely seen as the United States' biggest economic and military competitor. At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, he said the U.S. doesn't have a 'multi-war military.'
'This is the restrainers like Colby flexing their muscle and saying, 'Hey, the Pacific is more important,'' said retired Navy Adm. Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Backers of a more restrained U.S. foreign policy say the move is necessary, given an unsettled Middle East, rising challenges in Asia and the stress placed on the U.S. defense industrial complex after more than three years of war in Ukraine.
'You're really coming up to the point where continuing to provide aid to Ukraine is putting at risk the U.S. ability to operate in future crises,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities. 'And you don't know when those crises are going to happen.'
'So you have to be a little bit cautious,' she added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Fox News Host Hits Republican Lawmakers With A Blunt Election Warning
Republican lawmakers on Thursday were in a jubilant mood as they marked the passage of President Donald Trump's signature 'big beautiful bill.' But Fox News host Jessica Tarlov said some of them might not be celebrating next year, when they could face unexpectedly early retirement. Polls show the bill ― which adds trillions to the debt, cuts taxes for the wealthy, and slashes Medicaid ― is deeply unpopular with the American public. With midterm elections looming in 2026, Tarlov ― a rotating co-host of 'The Five' ― wrote on X that moderate Republicans in particular will be at risk next year: By voting for this budget bill, many moderate Republicans are ensuring their retirement will come earlier than expected. — Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) July 3, 2025 The bill is so unpopular that CNN data chief Harry Enten earlier this week showed it was underwater in five recent polls by between 19 and 29 percentage points. 'The American public at this particular point hate, hate, hate the 'big, beautiful bill,'' he said. 'As far as they're concerned, it's not a 'big, beautiful bill,' it's a big, bad bill.' Democrats also believe that Republicans who support the bill will pay the price at the polls next year. 'There are House Republicans now, this morning, who are about to sign their political obituary with this vote,' Representative Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) told Reuters before the final votes were cast. 'They are literally walking the plank for Donald Trump.' The party that wins the White House often suffers in the midterm elections that follow. Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews expects that to be the case next year, as well, and said the passage of the bill won't make things any easier for Republicans. He estimated that Democrats could pick up between 15 and 20 seats ― more than enough to win control of the House.
Washington Post
38 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Trump uses term viewed as antisemitic slur to refer to unscrupulous bankers
President Donald Trump used a term many consider to be an antisemitic slur while referencing unscrupulous bankers during a campaign-style rally in Iowa on Thursday night, held to kick off a year-long celebration leading up to the nation's 250th birthday. Trump deployed the language while touting the impacts of his signature legislation that had just passed Congress hours earlier.
Yahoo
38 minutes ago
- Yahoo
4 ways Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' could impact your wallet
The "Big Beautiful Bill" is headed to President Donald Trump's desk. It includes a repeal of student loan forgiveness and an increased child tax credit. It also includes new "Trump accounts" and changes to Medicaid and SNAP. From taxes to student loan forgiveness, provisions in President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will soon be impacting Americans' wallets. On Thursday, the House passed the final version of the bill, which would extend the president's 2017 tax cuts and make key changes to the tax system, along with implementing significant changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Beyond the effects on Americans' wallets, the legislation provides roughly $150 billion to ramp up immigration enforcement. The bill first passed the House in May before undergoing changes in the Senate, where it narrowly passed on Tuesday. Trump could sign the bill into law as soon as Friday, July 4. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the bill would add at least $3.3 trillion to the US deficit. In May, Moody's Analytics downgraded the US's credit rating last week, citing rising federal debt. It said an extension of Trump's 2017 taxes could add $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. This could lead to higher interest rates on mortgages, auto loans, and more down the road. Here are four other key ways the tax bill could affect Americans' finances. Many of Trump's campaign promises are included in the tax bill. The legislation would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime wages. About two-thirds of tipped workers earn enough to owe federal income tax. After a final bill is signed, the Trump administration will release a list of qualifying occupations. The Senate bill includes a $6,000 tax deduction for older people making less than $75,000 a year ($150,000 for couples). Seniors making above that threshold would see a decreasing deduction until hitting a cap of $175,000 ($250,000 for couples.) Lower-income seniors likely won't benefit from the deduction. The provision is how lawmakers are trying to fulfill Trump's promise to end taxes on Social Security payments. The deduction would run through 2028. Another provision would permanently raise the child tax credit to $2,200. Additionally, it would eliminate electric vehicle tax credits after September. It also proposes ending tax credits for homeowners to install solar panels or energy-efficient heat pumps and incentives for new energy-efficient homes and home weatherization projects by the end of this year. The bill would also make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and increase the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, from $10,000 to $40,000 in 2025, $40,400 in 2026, and increase an additional 1% every year through 2029 before reverting to $10,000 in 2030. Lifting the SALT cap allows wealthy taxpayers in states and cities with high taxes to claim a bigger federal deduction, and the cap is something some Republican lawmakers have sought to raise or eliminate. Under the Senate bill, millions of student loan borrowers would see their repayment options change. The legislation proposes eliminating existing income-driven repayment plans and replacing them with two options: the Repayment Assistance Plan and a standard repayment plan. The Repayment Assistance Plan would allow for loan forgiveness after 360 qualifying payments based on the borrowers' income, while the standard repayment plan would require a fixed monthly payment over a period set by the servicer. The bill also would repeal former President Joe Biden's SAVE plan, an income-driven repayment plan that promised cheaper monthly payments and a shorter timeline for debt relief. The plan is blocked in court pending a final legal decision. If the bill passes, parents could get extra money for their kids down the line. The tax bill includes a "Trump account," previously called a "money account for growth and advancement," or MAGA account. The government would put $1,000 into accounts for babies born after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029. The baby would be required to have been born in the US and have a Social Security number to receive the cash. The money would need to be invested in a qualified index fund and can't be touched until the child turns 18. Parents and others could contribute up to $5,000 a year to each account. The accounts would have tax incentives; earnings would be tax-deferred, meaning taxes on the accounts would not need to be paid right away. Withdrawals from the accounts would also be taxed at the long-term capital-gains rate, which is dependent on income and typically lower than the regular income tax rate. Lower-income Americans could face bigger healthcare costs or lose federal assistance benefits. The tax bill would mean significant changes for the millions who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. The legislation would mandate that states implement an 80-hour-a-month work requirement by the end of 2026 for childless adults on Medicaid without a disability. The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that work requirements on Medicaid could strip coverage from over 8 million Americans over the next decade. Additionally, the bill would extend the age range of adults subject to work requirements to receive SNAP to include adults ages 55 to 64. Currently, adults ages 18 to 54 without children can receive SNAP benefits only if they work at least 20 hours a week. Read the original article on Business Insider Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
