• U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee argued conservatives opposing foreign regime change are not genuine MAGA supporters
• Huckabee defended recent military operations in Venezuela and Iran, calling critics a small minority
• The comments highlight growing tensions within the conservative movement over America’s global military role

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee dismissed conservatives who oppose foreign military intervention as inauthentic members of the MAGA movement, drawing a sharp line between non-interventionists and what he described as true America First supporters during a Tuesday appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored.

The ambassador’s comments come as President Donald Trump’s administration faces criticism from some conservatives over recent military operations in Venezuela and continued strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

MAGA Movement Split Over Foreign Policy

Piers Morgan challenged Huckabee during the interview, noting many MAGA supporters feel confused by Trump’s recent military actions.

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“There are people in the MAGA movement, many people in the MAGA movement, in the United States, who are a little bit confused because they voted for a man in Donald Trump who wanted to end American involvement in foreign wars,” Morgan said. “And now they’re seeing potentially new strikes against Iran, they’re seeing perhaps an attempt at taking Greenland, they’re seeing the decapitation of the leader of Venezuela, and America now, according to Donald Trump, running the country.”

Huckabee dismissed these concerns as representing only a small faction within the broader conservative coalition.

“That’s a small minority of the people in the MAGA movement. Because most of us who truly are the America First MAGA movement and have been since Donald Trump became president in 2016, I think what we say is, look, America First absolutely, but that doesn’t mean America only. We’re not isolationists. We live in a real world.”

The ambassador specifically targeted conservatives who predicted Trump’s military actions would lead to protracted conflicts similar to past American wars in the Middle East.

“There were people who think they’re MAGA, they’re not, they’re posers, and they said, ‘Donald Trump will get us into a 20-year war. 20,000 Americans will be killed. We’ll have boots on the ground.’ They look really stupid right now because that’s not what happened.”

Conservative Critics Raise Concerns

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Despite Huckabee’s characterization, several prominent conservative lawmakers have voiced skepticism about the administration’s foreign policy direction.

Departing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wrote on X that never-ending military aggression and costly foreign wars were “what many in MAGA thought they voted to end.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) faced backlash from Trump supporters after voting to advance a war powers resolution limiting the president’s military authority in Venezuela. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) warned against repeating past regime change failures in Libya, Iraq and Syria.

Polling Shows Mixed Republican Support

Public opinion data reveals a more nuanced picture than Huckabee’s confident assertions suggest.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 65% of Republicans support a stronger U.S. role in Venezuela, while 6% oppose Trump’s military action. A Washington Post survey showed 74% of Republicans approve of the Venezuela operation, with 10% disapproving.

However, a CBS News poll conducted in November found 70% of Americans opposed military action in Venezuela before Trump ordered the operation.

The same CBS polling showed that while MAGA Republicans overwhelmingly supported removing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, only 45% of Republicans expressed “strong” approval for the operation.

Pollard Meeting Goes Unmentioned

Morgan did not ask Huckabee about his controversial July meeting with Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst who served 30 years in prison for selling classified American secrets to Israel.

The secret embassy meeting, first reported by The New York Times in November, reportedly alarmed the CIA’s station chief in Israel. The White House said it was not informed of the meeting in advance, though press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated the president “stands by our ambassador.”

Fox News host Mark Levin’s step-son David Milstein also attended the meeting, according to multiple reports.

Pollard, who now lives in Israel, told The Jerusalem Post he plans to run for the Knesset and advocates for Gaza’s annexation. He has stated he “wholeheartedly embraces an ‘Israel first’ doctrine.”

Administration Defends Interventionist Approach

The Trump administration argues its military actions represent “peace through strength” rather than open-ended wars.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the Venezuela operation as “wholly America First,” while Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended not briefing Congress in advance, calling it a “trigger-based mission” that required operational security.

Huckabee emphasized the speed of recent operations as evidence they differ from past conflicts.

“My gosh, it was less than an hour that the B-2 bombers went over Iran, bombed the ever daylights out of Fordow and the nuclear sites. President Trump has not engaged us, got us into long-lasting wars that last for 15 or 20 years.”

International Law Questions Remain

Legal scholars have raised concerns about the Venezuela operation’s compliance with international law. Professor Marc Weller at Chatham House wrote that “the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro and attacks on Venezuela have no justification in international law.”

The Arab League has called on Hamas to disarm, while regional allies privately welcomed strikes against Iran’s nuclear program despite avoiding public praise.

Does Trump’s muscular foreign policy represent America First principles, or has the administration redefined what the MAGA movement stands for?

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