White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt recently addressed criticism from within President Donald Trump’s MAGA base regarding his military actions in Iran. “X is not real life,” Leavitt remarked, emphasizing that “this President lives in the real world.” Speaking to reporters on the White House driveway, Leavitt commented on the internal conflicts within the Republican Party. “With respect to MAGA, President Trump is the leader of MAGA,” she asserted. “He is the creator of the MAGA movement. There is nothing more ‘America First’ than eliminating terrorists who have harmed our service members, chant ‘death to America,’ and threaten our homeland.” Notably, former Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly have emerged as prominent voices opposing the military action in Iran.

Despite dissent within the MAGA faction, Trump has shown no signs of reconsidering his stance, hinting at further significant actions against Iran. Leavitt highlighted Trump’s commitment to the “peace through strength” foreign policy doctrine, noting his extensive efforts at diplomacy with Iran’s rogue regime. “They have now faced the strength and determination of the United States Armed Forces,” Leavitt stated. This follows Trump’s directive for Operation Epic Fury, initiated after the breakdown of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran. The operation, conducted in collaboration with Israel, resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during the initial strikes.

President Trump has claimed that the military intervention has successfully targeted numerous Iranian leaders during its first week. However, six U.S. servicemembers were killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait on Sunday. The conflict has extended into various Middle Eastern nations, with Iran launching attacks on locations such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE—key destinations for American tourists—as well as targeting the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Leavitt reiterated that the strikes demonstrate Trump’s commitment to his promises. “Throughout his presidency and even in his private life, he has consistently stated that the Iranian regime would never obtain a nuclear bomb, and now he’s taking definitive action,” she affirmed.

‘And he has the courage to do what so many presidents in the past did not,’ she added, ending the gaggle. While Trump had previously said he did not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon, he also pushed on the campaign trail that he did not support ‘forever wars’ – pointing to Iraq and Afghanistan that were started during Republican President George W. Bush’s tenure. That change in Republican foreign policy marked a major difference between Bush’s neoconservatives and Trump’s MAGA movement, with the President pulling his party more in line with Democrats, who are generally more anti-war. But Trump has brushed off fears that he could get himself into a Iraq-like quagmire. When talking to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl by phone Thursday, the veteran newsman asked the President what’s next.

‘Forget about next,’ Trump replied. ‘They are decimated for a 10-year period before they could build it back.’ Trump has already expressed his displeasure that Iranian leaders are looking to anoint Khamenei’s son Mojtaba to be the country’s next leader, calling him a ‘lightweight.’ The President has said he wants a US-friendly leader to be in charge of the country. The United States had an ally in the country’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was outed in the 1979 Iranian revolution. The Pahlavi family was put in power over a democratically elected leader thanks to a CIA and MI6-backed coup. On Friday Leavitt wouldn’t name names on an Iranian leader Trump might support. ‘I know there are a number of people that our intelligence agencies in the United States government are looking at, but I won’t get any further,’ she said.