Former Rep. Matt Gaetz is breaking ranks with the president—and taking aim at parts of the MAGA base he says have blindly fallen in line behind the president’s war with Iran.
Speaking Thursday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas, Gaetz, 43, delivered a sharp critique of what he described as “slavish loyalty” among some of 79-year-old President Donald Trump’s most vocal supporters, arguing their backing of the conflict reflects allegiance to interests beyond the United States.
“I come from the wing of the Republican Party that is only loyal to one nation,” Gaetz told the crowd, “and that is the United States of America.”
While he framed his remarks as part of a broader call for open debate—“dissent and disagreement has to be allowed”—Gaetz quickly zeroed in on prominent conservative voices he believes are pushing the party in the wrong direction.
“And so while I may not agree with the likes of Mark Levin or Ben Shapiro or Mike Huckabee,” he said, “that we have some sort of near slavish loyalty to a country in a far away land.”
The comment drew a clear line between Gaetz and some of the most influential pro-Trump figures backing the administration’s posture on Iran.
Still, Gaetz stopped short of a full break with the movement.
Despite criticizing fellow conservatives, he pivoted to attacking Democrats, telling the audience he would still “walk across hot coals arm in arm” with those same Republicans to stop what he described as the left turning America into a “more transsexual version of Venezuela.”
He also urged unity heading into the midterms, warning that internal divisions over foreign policy could carry political consequences.
“We cannot move into midterms with self-inflicted wounds,” he said.
At the center of Gaetz’s criticism is the possibility that the conflict could escalate into a ground war.
Pointing to a Polymarket prediction market estimate suggesting a high chance of U.S. boots on the ground in Iran, Gaetz said he hoped that outcome would not materialize.
“A ground invasion of Iran will make our country poorer and less safe,” he said.
He warned that such a move would compound economic pressures already tied to the conflict, including rising gas prices linked to Iran’s restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz—a critical chokepoint for roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply.
“Higher gas prices, higher food prices,” Gaetz said, before adding a broader concern: “I’m not sure we’d end up killing more terrorists than we would create.”
Trump has not ruled out deploying ground troops, though he has repeatedly downplayed the scale of the conflict. On Wednesday, declaring the war had already been won, leaving Iran “totally defeated.”
The war has now entered its fourth week, with at least 13 U.S. service members killed and more than 200 injured. The Pentagon has also expanded its presence in the region, with Trump approving the deployment of troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division.
Gaetz is not alone among Republicans voicing concern. The former congressman—once Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general—has since drifted into the camp of some of Trump’s loudest MAGA critics following his political exile amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
Sen. Rand Paul, 63, has been one of the most outspoken critics within the GOP, questioning whether the administration’s justification for war—centered on Iran’s nuclear capabilities being “two weeks away”—is sufficient.
Paul has also pointed to Trump’s own past claims that earlier military action had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, raising questions about how the threat could now justify escalation.
The emerging split underscores a growing divide within the Republican Party—between those backing Trump’s aggressive posture abroad and those warning it could carry lasting political and economic costs at home.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
