Trump and the Iran War Cast a Shadow Over the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas

Dallas, Texas – The Republican midterm convention has represented a gambit for the party: centring US President Donald Trump in the final stretch of the midterm elections, even as the first two years of his second term have cast a polarising political shadow. That has been particularly true when it comes to the war on Iran, which Trump launched alongside Israel on February 28, and the knock-on effects on affordability in the United States, a key issue for many voters.

As Trump prepared to deliver a keynote address on Wednesday in Dallas, prices for Brent Crude, the global benchmark, rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since July, a reminder of the conflict’s continued fallout for global markets. Nevertheless, supporters who spoke to Al Jazeera still saw the president as the man to rally Americans to vote Republican in November, as the party fights to hold onto control of the House of Representatives and Senate. But some voiced concern – or confusion – over the impact of the war.

“This really is a Trump-a-palooza, as people have been saying,” said Carter Eisinger, a 27-year-old electrician who travelled from Fargo, North Dakota. “I think some people say that in a derogatory way, but I think it’s very much a complimentary phrase,” he added. “The reality of it is we are in a Trump Republican Party.”

Still, Eisinger struggled to see how the war fit into Trump’s “America First” vision. “In my opinion, I don’t really see the connection of how a war in Iran helps us here in the country,” he said. “If the Iran war is justified, I’m willing to pay the gas prices, but I haven’t seen that justification.” He felt a similar confusion about the close relationship between the US and Israel.

Others were more charitable towards Trump’s approach to the Middle East, even if they saw the war on Iran as a misstep. Bijay Dixit, a 59-year-old photographer from Houston, Texas, gave Trump high marks on his approach to immigration, while also believing Republicans were the party to steward the economy. But on Iran, he said there had been a “miscalculation”, even if he agreed with the administration’s position that the war was ultimately a necessary response to the totality of Iran’s actions in the 47 years since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

Helen Vennett, a 65-year-old small business owner from Maryland and the chairman of her county’s Republican Party, likened the convention to a high-school pep rally. “All of us need to have cheerleaders in our life… It just gets you fired up again,” she noted, though she acknowledged the potential political fallout of the war.

Polls have regularly suggested widespread disapproval among US citizens of the war on Iran, with independents in particular expressing disapproval, while many rank affordability as their top issue. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll indicated that only a quarter of Americans think the war is worthwhile.

The Trump administration has downplayed the prospect of ending the war, focusing instead on efforts to open shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday as he departed for the convention, Trump sought to temper expectations that the war would end before November’s pivotal vote, accusing Iran of intentionally holding out until November to affect the election.

John Russell, 55, from Rockford, Illinois, who regularly travels to Trump rallies as part of the “Front Row Joe’s” group, remained optimistic. “It’s been a small bump with the gas going up,” he told Al Jazeera. “It had to be done. We can’t allow [Iran] to have a nuclear bomb.” Tehran has long denied seeking a nuclear weapon.

Russell predicted that the convention and the party's overall strategy would pay off at the polls, firing up the base and swaying independents to vote for Trump-backed candidates.