Loyalists rush to defend president for ‘outsmarting the critics’ but others decry deal as ‘a negative for our country’
Donald Trump’s acceptance of a two-week ceasefire in Iran has exposed fresh divisions in his Make America Great Again (Maga) movement, with some supporters expressing vindication and others accusing the US president of betrayal.
The US and Iran both claimed victory after the two countries agreed to pause hostilities following more than a month of war. But the strait of Hormuz remained closed on Wednesday and fighting was still taking place as Israel launched its biggest attacks yet on Lebanon.
Democrats and other critics said Trump had suffered a humiliating strategic defeat given that, for all his apocalyptic bluster, Iran’s regime remains intact and still holds a stockpile of highly enriched uranium while also now exerting control of the strait.
Maga loyalists raced to defend the president. Dinesh D’Souza, a rightwing commentator and film-maker, posted on social media: “Once again, Trump outsmarts the critics. Once again he exposes their inner derangement. Once again he proves he is the adult in the room. Once again.”
