Trump ignites debate on presidential authority with Iran strikes and wins praise from Republicans

President Donald Trump's bombardment of three sites in Iran quickly sparked debate in Congress over his authority to launch the strikes, with Republicans praising Trump for decisive action even as many Democrats warned he should have sought congressional approval.

The instant divisions in the U.S. Congress reflected an already swirling debate over the president’s ability to conduct such a consequential action on his own, without authorization from the House and Senate on the use of military force.

While Trump is hardly the first U.S. president to go it alone, his expansive use of presidential power raised immediate questions about what comes next, and whether he is exceeding the limits of his authority.

"Well done, President Trump,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on X. Alabama Sen. Katie Britt called the bombings “strong and surgical."

The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump "has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime."

Democrats, and a few Republicans, said the strikes were unconstitutional.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who called for an immediate classified briefing for lawmakers, said that Trump "misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East."

Some Republicans had similar concerns. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican and a longtime opponent of U.S. involvement in foreign wars, posted on X after Trump announced the attacks that, "This is not Constitutional."

But the quick GOP endorsements of stepped up U.S. involvement in Iran came after Trump publicly considered the strikes for days. Many congressional Republicans had cautiously said they thought he would make the right decision.

The party’s schism over Iran could complicate the GOP’s efforts to boost Pentagon spending as part of a $350 billion national security package in Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax breaks bill, which is speeding toward votes next week.

“We now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies,” Wicker posted on X.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune both were briefed ahead of the strikes on Saturday, according to people familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it. Thune said Saturday evening that "as we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way."

Johnson said in a statement that the military operations "should serve as a clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says."

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, R-Ark., said he had also been in touch with the White House and "I am grateful to the U.S. servicemembers who carried out these precise and successful strikes."

Breaking from many of his Democratic colleagues, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, an outspoken supporter of Israel, also praised the attacks on Iran. "As I’ve long maintained, this was the correct move by @POTUS," he posted. "Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities."

Both parties have seen splits in recent days over the prospect of striking Iran, including some of Trump's most ardent supporters who share his criticism of America's "forever wars."

Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio posted that “while President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional."

"This is not our fight," posted Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Most Democrats have maintained that Congress should have a say, even as presidents in both parties have ignored the legislative branch's constitutional authority.

The Senate was scheduled to vote soon on a resolution from Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine that would require congressional approval before the U.S. declares war on Iran or takes specific military action.

Kaine said the bombings were “horrible judgment."

"I will push for all senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war," Kaine said.

Democratic Rep. Greg Casar, the chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also called on Congress to immediately pass a war powers resolution. He said politicians had always promised that “new wars in the Middle East would be quick and easy.”

"Then they sent other people’s children to fight and die endlessly," Casar said. "Enough."

Trump's move against Iran may draw more criticism from MAGA's anti-interventionists

With the president barred from seeking a third term, what remains unknown is how long-lasting the schism could be for Trump and his current priorities, as well as the overall future of his "America First" movement.

Among the surrogates who spoke out against American involvement were former senior adviser Steve Bannon, commentator Tucker Carlson and Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point.

Part of their consternation was rooted in Trump's own vocalized antipathy for what he and others have termed the “forever wars” fomented in previous administrations.

As the possibility of military action neared, some of those voices tamped down their rhetoric. According to Trump, Carlson even called to “apologize.”

Bannon, one of top advisers in Trump's 2016 campaign, told an audience in Washington that bitter feelings over Iraq were a driving force for Trump’s first presidential candidacy and the MAGA movement. "One of the core tenets is no forever wars,” Bannon said.

But the longtime Trump ally, who served a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, went on to suggest that Trump will maintain loyalty from his base no matter what.

On Wednesday, Bannon acknowledged that while he and others will argue against military intervention until the end, “the MAGA movement will back Trump."

Ultimately, Bannon said that Trump would have to make the case to the American people if he wanted to get involved in Iran.

"We don’t like it. Maybe we hate it,” Bannon said, predicting what the MAGA response would be. "But, you know, we’ll get on board."

US commentator Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric toward Trump was increasingly critical.

Carlson, who headlined large rallies with the Republican during the 2024 campaign, earlier this month suggested that the president’s posture was breaking his pledge to keep the U.S. out of new foreign entanglements. Trump clapped back at Carlson on social media, calling him “kooky.”

During an event at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said that Carlson had “called and apologized” for calling him out. Trump said Carlson “is a nice guy.”

Carlson's conversation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that day laid bare the divides among many Republicans.

The two sparred for two hours over a variety of issues, primarily about possible U.S. involvement in Iran. Carlson accused Cruz of placing too much emphasis on protecting Israel in his foreign policy worldview.

“You don’t know anything about Iran,” Carlson said to Cruz, after the senator said he didn’t know Iran’s population or its ethnic composition. “You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of a government, and you don’t know anything about the country."

Far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Infowars host posted on social media earlier in the week a side-by-side of Trump’s official presidential headshot and an artificial intelligence-generated composite of Trump and former Republican President George W. Bush.

Trump and many of his allies have long disparaged Bush for involving the United States in the "forever wars" in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Writing “What you voted for” above Trump’s image and “What you got” above the composite, Jones added: “I hope this is not the case…”

Charlie Kirk said in a Fox News interview at the start of the week that “this is the moment that President Trump was elected for.” But he had warned of a potential MAGA divide over Iran.

Days later, Kirk said that "Trump voters, especially young people, supported President Trump because he was the first president in my lifetime to not start a new war."

He also wrote that “there is historically little support for America to be actively engaged in yet another offensive war in the Middle East. We must work for and pray for peace."

In Kirk's view, "The last thing America needs right now is a new war. Our number one desire must be peace, as quickly as possible.”