Lindsey Graham’s war rhetoric complicates Trump’s push to calm MAGA base

Published March 11, 2026 7:00am ET



Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-SC) media blitz calling for wider military action against Iran and beyond is colliding with the Trump administration’s effort to convince a skeptical MAGA base that the conflict won’t spiral into another forever war.

Graham, a close Trump ally in the Senate, has spent the past week floating the bombing of Iranian and Hezbollah units in Lebanon, calling for regime change in Cuba, and suggesting the public may need to send their sons and daughters to the Middle East. Critics say the rhetoric cuts directly against the White House’s effort to contain fears of Bush-era regime change.

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