By Mary Rooke, Daily Caller News Foundation | June 23, 2025
Millions of Americans sat glued to the television or their devices as news broke Saturday night that President Donald Trump had ordered the U.S. Military to strategically bomb three nuclear sites in Iran.
Regardless of how one feels about the decision, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this was a historic moment. The world had a front row seat to a president who is willing to take decisive action against a real threat. Our enemies, China, Russia, North Korea, etc., are fully aware of the danger the U.S. poses when our president tells them not to cross his red line. Perhaps China should think twice before trying to take control of Taiwan. Similarly, Iran has only one viable option: come back to the negotiating table.
Still, two Americans are living inside me at the moment.
One who witnessed the undeniably brave and downright awesome example of U.S. military precision and excellence. I like to call this version the “Toby Keith American.” On Saturday night and into Sunday morning, when the details of the mission were becoming clearer, it’s hard not to look at this in complete awe of our military. It was incredible to see our service members prove to the world that our military is still the best. There is not a single other fighting force that could have flown over 36 hours, bomb three enemy military sites undetected, and return home without any of our enemies knowing this was happening. Excluding the potential ramifications of these actions (which we’ll address next), there is nothing greater than watching our military, president, and everyone involved succeed.
Inherently, it is true that Iran is an evil regime that demands its citizens hate our country. They openly chant death to America. They send their sleeper cells into our country with the desire to murder Americans and spread chaos and fear into our communities. There is no way not to support a U.S. president who wants to disarm Iran from having nuclear weapons, which could be used against us.
Then the other American showed up. I was young when 9/11 happened, but still old enough to remember the sense of patriotism it provoked. As the Middle East war started, boys freshly graduating from high school were joining our armed forces left and right. Then they started coming home from deployment, and the noticing began. Despite being told by the nightly news that we were winning the war, their faces and body language revealed a reality that the men in Washington, D.C. were unwilling to admit.
This was a different kind of war than anything we had fought before, and it is something we should be very hesitant to ever jump into again. Don’t believe me? Just listen to one of our skilled special forces veterans explain.
After finally pulling our troops from the Middle East, the U.S. sits on the precipice of yet another war in the same region. On Monday, Iran reportedly retaliated against the U.S. by launching a series of ballistic missiles at U.S. military bases in Qatar.
Of course, if you say this, pundits will shout you down and call you a “Panican” (panicked Republican) who is anti-Trump and anti-U.S. Military. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. This may not be the World War III that some worry is happening, but it could create a situation that puts U.S. troops on the ground in the Middle East, which some warmongers are demanding happen.
The same individuals who salivated at the opportunity to send money and weapons to Ukraine and promised that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in Iraq are now championing sending troops to Iran to aid a regime change. Too much precious American blood and money have been spent trying to nation build in the Middle East. Americans have a right and responsibility to tell these people to buzz off.
None of this is a reflection on our military. Nor is it a condemnation of Trump. As of now, Americans can take comfort in the fact that we do not live under a Biden/Obama/Bush presidency. Trump was the only Republican candidate to criticize the GWOT at a time when it wasn’t the politically expedient thing to do. He seems to love and respect our troops in a way that makes it obvious they are more than just a number on a spreadsheet.
Trump also hates losing, which puts us at a clear advantage. Unlike his predecessors, he will not be getting us into a war that he doesn’t believe we will win, and he won’t be allowing the same players who used our boys as IED fodder during the GWOT in order to line their pockets to be anywhere near the situation room.
Still, there is a serious midterm risk of jumping into yet another boots-on-the-ground war in the Middle East. The same coalition of young voters who put Trump and Republicans into office is now watching intently. They don’t want troops on the ground. The polling shows their displeasure with this decision.
Should Trump ignore this, it’s not that he has to worry about them voting for Democrats in the midterms. The worry is that they won’t show up to vote at all. Why vote for either party if neither is willing to represent their wants? All the hard work getting them into the voting booth could have been for nothing if they chose to stay out of the process in the future.
Trump undoubtedly faces some of the most difficult decisions any president can make. Lives, votes, and his legacy are all on the line.
Mary Rooke is a commentary and analysis writer at the Daily Caller News Foundation
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