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Trump’s grassroots supporters are not happy about Syria bombing

Some party Republicans, however, approve.

Photo of David Gilmour

David Gilmour

Donald Trump in front of an American flag

President Donald Trump’s missile strike on Syria marks a complete turnabout from his long-held anti-interventionist policies. Now, some of his biggest supporters are furious about it.

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The United States launched 59 cruise missiles late on Thursday, targeting the Syrian government’s Shayrat air base, two days after forces fighting on the side of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad carried out a catastrophic chemical attack that killed at least 80 people, including children.

Now, the president’s far-right supporters are angry. Outspoken pro-Trump media personalities, such as Ann Coulter, and notable figures in the alt-right movement, including Paul Joseph Watson and Mike Cernovich, almost immediately vocalized their objection to the air strikes.

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https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/850162772809728000

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The outcry from these pundits, however, is just a reflection of the broader grassroots kick back. Some Trump supporters are threatening to abandon the president, while others are suggesting that he lied and betrayed them on the campaign trail.

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https://twitter.com/lasenissima/status/850183628101439488

https://twitter.com/4realPolitic/status/850157204967743490

https://twitter.com/Eidotheia/status/850189662371106820

Even the comment section of Breitbart News, a website that emerged as extremely pro-Trump during the election, depicts an enraged supporter base.

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Back in 2013, Trump was a vocal opponent of military intervention and his tweets from that time are recirculating. In one, he tells former President Barack Obama to “stay out of Syria” while in another he demands that the president consult Congress before acting:

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Somewhat ironically, the president had also mused that Obama was considering military action against the Islamic State to boost low polling numbers. Now that Trump’s approval ratings are struggling, some are wondering the same of Thursday’s mission.

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https://twitter.com/druce/status/849429567257407493

While the strike against Assad may alienate the far right demographic, it seems to appeal to party Republicans, some of who were demanding action on Syria.

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Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called on the president “to ground Assad’s air force” in a press release. Both had openly criticized Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comment that the Assad regime was a matter for “the Syrian people.” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) also voiced his support for a “stronger Syria policy, one that holds the Assad government, Russia, and Iran accountable for their brutality.”

That the U.S. missile strike on the Syrian government’s airbase is internationally significant goes without question, but it could prove to fracture the administration’s support domestically in an unprecedented way.

 
The Daily Dot