As fire and fury hit MAGA tent, Vance walks the tightrope for 2028 Premium

As political loyalties shift, Vice President Vance navigates the turbulent MAGA landscape amidst Trump's new war strategy.

The fire and fury that is consuming the MAGA fraternity that had rallied behind Donald J. Trump’s anti-war rhetoric for a decade touched the administration on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) when Joe Kent, a long-term acolyte, resigned as the director of the National Counterterrorism Centre. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby,” Mr. Kent, who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years and later in the CIA, wrote in his resignation letter.

Laura Loomer, an influential cheerleader of the war who has Mr. Trump’s ear took to social media speculating that Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence and a strong opponent of wars, could be the next to resign.

The new war launched by Mr. Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu is triggering a wide range of realignment of personal loyalties and political positions across both parties, but a role reversal within the Republican Party is remarkable. Three key figures who are now the main mouthpieces of Mr. Trump’s new war — Senators Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — were opponents of Mr. Trump in his primary contest in 2015.

Mr. Trump had clashed with all three on policy issues, particularly on West Asian wars, and hurled insults at all three. While they now rally Republicans behind Mr. Trump — polling shows above 80% of the party’s supporters backing the war — MAGA natives such as Mr. Kent could find it increasingly difficult to remain in the Trump tent. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from the House of Representatives on January 5, 2026, nearly two months before the war began, while Vice President J.D. Vance and Ms. Gabbard — two key war sceptics who are in the administration — are walking a difficult line.

Both have stopped short of supporting the war but reiterated their trust in Mr. Trump’s judgement and capacity. Their position is as follows: that it is not in America’s interest for Iran to have a nuclear weapon, and Mr. Trump knows what he is doing. This framing allows them to continue in the administration while not endorsing the war completely, and holding Mr. Trump responsible for the consequences while praising his leadership.

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