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The ideological battle over what “America First” means in the Trump era is intensifying in wake of Israel’s strikes on Iran, splitting the MAGA right and testing their relationships with the president.

On one side, noninterventionist doves insist that the Trumpian tagline means the president must avoid U.S. troops, resources or dollars going toward the conflict, for fear of getting dragged into an endless war.

“Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted on X on Sunday.

But on the other end, foreign policy hawks and supporters of Israel are appealing to Trump’s position that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon, and encouraging him to leave all options — including direct military intervention — on the table.

“How is it not AMERICA FIRST to congratulate those who just made sure Islamists who chant ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ and who openly plotted to assassinate President @realDonaldTrump never have an opportunity to have a nuke?” right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer posted on X over the weekend.

In a Saturday phone interview with The Atlantic, President Trump responded to criticism from former Fox News host Tucker Carlson — who said in a newsletter that “politicians purporting to be America First can’t now credibly turn around and say they had nothing to do with” the strikes — by saying he is the one that will ultimately write the definition.

“Well, considering that I’m the one that developed ‘America First,’ and considering that the term wasn’t used until I came along, I think I’m the one that decides that,” Trump said.

And on Monday, Trump offered one part of his definition: “AMERICA FIRST means many GREAT things, including the fact that, IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he posted on Truth Social.

Trump beat back the dove side somewhat in another post calling Carlson “kooky” — prompting Greene, who almost never criticizes the president, to make the stunning move to come to Carlson’s defense.

“Foreign wars/intervention/regime change put America last, kill innocent people, are making us broke, and will ultimately lead to our destruction. That’s not kooky. That’s what millions of Americans voted for,” Greene said.

Despite Trump claiming ownership of the tag line, different wings of Trump supporters spent much of the last few days warring about the “America First” response to the conflict.

Conservative radio host Mark Levin, who is on the hawkish side of the debate, made a lengthy post on Monday about “Real MAGA and Fake MAGA,” saying “Real MAGA is not isolationist or antisemitic. In another post, Levin took aim at Greene, calling her “a little known politician from Georgia.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in on the “America First” debate in a Monday interview with ABC News.

"Today, it's Tel Aviv. Tomorrow, it's New York. Look, I understand 'America First'. I don't understand 'America Dead,’” Netanyahu said. “That's what these people want.”

As Trump takes responsibility for defining the America First response, he is being vague and open enough to give both the hawks and the doves reason to believe they are right about their own versions of America First.

The initial response from the administration to the strikes, in the form of a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, notably distanced the U.S. from the attacks — saying that “Israel took unilateral action against Iran” and that the U.S. was “not involved in strikes against Iran.”

But the U.S. did

© The Hill