In 2015, a survey found 30% of Republican primary voters and 19% of Democratic primary voters supported bombing Agrabah — the fictional city from the Disney film Aladdin. Among the supporters of Donald J. Trump, the enthusiasm was sharper still: 41% were in favour, and only 9% opposed. This was when Mr. Trump was talking endlessly against America’s endless wars as a Republican candidate for President. War enthusiasts in the U.S. cannot find a more effective voice than South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Credited with the feat of steering Mr. Trump into attacking Iran alongside Israel, Mr. Graham is not stopping. “Cuba is next,” he said, soon after the U.S.-Israel axis started bombing Iran. He has also warned Saudi Arabia and Spain, two allies, of consequences if they do not stay in tune with U.S. war plans.
Editorial | Strategic blunder: On the U.S., the Iran war
Mr. Graham thinks bombing all the “bad guys” around the world is America’s manifest destiny. Speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Leadership Summit in late 2025, he said: “I feel good about the Republican Party. I feel good about where we’re going as a nation. We’re killing all the right people, and we’re cutting your taxes. Trump is my favourite President.”
