President Trump’s tentative deal to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz has brought gas prices down sharply. This week the national average dipped below $4/gallon for the first time since March. This is an auspicious sign for Trump and his political fortunes, but to Iran hawks on the right, it comes at an unacceptable price.  Fox News host Mark Levin, a usual Trump booster, is gravely disappointed that Trump seems to be abandoning his hopes for a regime  change in Iran in order to salvage the midterm elections, and his own presidency. Neoconservative columnist David Harsanyi has turned against both Trump and Vice President J D Vance with blind fury for not pursuing the war further and settling on a peace without regime change.

One can hardly blame them for feeling crestfallen. What started with shock and awe in February, in their estimation now ends with a whimper. Indeed, the only people who might be more upset than neoconservatives are the Democrats in Congress, who had hoped Trump would remain at war long enough for the Republicans to suffer critical losses in the November election. The Democrats think they have had an easy time making a case that Trump is out of touch with the voters. Few Trump supporters imagined they were going to get another war when they elected him to serve a second term. While Trump has long maintained that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon, he also pledged repeatedly not to get the U.S. involved in new wars, and there’s no question that the war has made inflation worse, and seems to undercut his promise to reduce costs.

It should be noted that Trump hasn’t finalized the actual deal, yet. He has reached more of a broad understanding to end the conflict, and his pursuit of diplomacy over the complete annihilation and replacement of the Iranian regime enrages the hawks. The only acceptable course, in their eyes, is to regime change Tehran by force. Trump has tried doing this, more than any modern president, in fact. But Iran has been able to fight back with economic levers. It is unclear how Trump could “finish the job” to satisfy the intransigent demands of Levin and Harsanyi without a significant military escalation. The lack of gratitude from many in the hawkish camp for what Trump has achived in Iran is rather astounding. It appears they will be satisfied with nothing short of the ruin of Trump annd his party in pursuit of neoconservative goals..

While Trump’s initial decision to go to war may have been justified it has not resulted in regime change, and he is now coming under pressure from neoconservative journalists and foundation heads to continue in a way that could endanger MAGA’s electoral future. These advocates are fine with efforts that would distract from Trump’s achievements in reducing illegal immigration and removing thugs from our streets and have no problem with a policy that will cost precious political capital, even though that capital could be better directed toward the more pressing concerns at home. By bringing the conflict to a swift resolution now, Trump is putting first things first. .

It is clear where Democrats think the battle for America’s future is being fought. The Iran conflict has elicited plenty of needling criticism and grandstanding, but little of the violent, convicted obstruction that the left has directed against President Trump’s deportation machine. The contrast indicates the left’s priorities, and the risks Trump has invited by fighting a war abroad while a violent political insurgency is raging at home.

Even if it were in the national interest to send in troops to force a regime change in Iran, the people would not allow it. Compared to past U.S. conflicts, the Iran war has cost Americans little, even if  13 soldiers have died. But for the average American the war is seen as an unnecessary luxury that the majority never wanted to get into.

When he began his current term, public support for mass deportations was high. But approval of Trump’s hardline immigration policy has since plummeted, as radical donors and the Democratic Party have launched mass demonstrations. Trump cannot afford to wage two unpopular wars at the same time. His determination to wrap things up in the Middle East might be frustrating to neoconservative pressure groups well lodged in the conservative establishment,, but Trump may have had no political choice but to end this military effort as soon as he can..

With the war ended,  few voters who are now angry will remember or care about it in November. This is what Democrats fear. Trump is right to focus on keeping his domestic enemies out of power. If given the chance, they will not hesitate to cripple his presidency and flood the country with millions more Third World illegals..