President Trump’s decision to continue drawing down troops in Afghanistan and Iraq has set off ideological warfare within the Republican Party, provoking a heated debate over the party’s approach to foreign policy on his way out of the Oval Office.

Trump campaigned as an “America First” critic of “endless wars,” including the nearly 20-year intervention in Afghanistan, and the invasion of Iraq he described as a “big, fat mistake.” This put him in direct opposition to the foreign policy of the most recent previous Republican president, George W. Bush, and congressional Republicans who believe the United States must maintain a strong presence in Middle Eastern hot spots.