GOP rep: Trump ‘would be derelict in his duty’ if Iran had nuclear weapon, despite war’s unpopularity

House GOP rep: Trump ‘would be derelict in his duty’ if Iran had nuclear weapon, despite war’s unpopularity Comments: by Max Rego - 07/26/26 3:59 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Max Rego - 07/26/26 3:59 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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GOP Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.) on Sunday defended President Trump’s handling of the war with Iran.

“Nobody wants war. I think if you were going to ask Americans at large, whether they’re MAGA Republicans or any other American, nobody wants to be involved in another military conflict,” Donalds said to host Chris Stirewalt on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”

But Donalds, who is running for governor of Florida, said while Trump “doesn’t want to be involved in conflict” either, he “cannot let a radical terrorist regime like Iran” have a nuclear weapon and have control over the Strait of Hormuz.

“That would be derelict in his duty as commander in chief,” Donalds said.

American forces continued to strike Iran this week, with U.S. Central Command (Centcom) completing its 13th consecutive night of strikes against the Islamic Republic on Thursday.

Centcom said it targeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities “to further diminish the threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”

The command also noted that more than 50,000 U.S. servicemembers are operating across the Middle East. Eighteen American soldiers have died during the nearly five-month conflict, while the Pentagon confirmed this week that nearly 100 U.S. servicemembers have suffered injuries since the Pentagon resumed strikes on Iran earlier this month — with 96 percent of them having returned to duty.

The war remains unpopular among a majority of Americans, based on polling. A new CBS News/YouGov survey found that 58 percent of respondents felt uncertain about the war, while 57 percent felt frustrated, 36 percent felt pessimistic and under 2 in 10 felt optimistic.

As for what Trump should do now, 67 percent of respondents said he should end the conflict, while one-third said he should keep the war going until the Iranian regime concedes more.

More than 9 in 10 Democrats said the president should end the war, with 73 percent of independents and 30 percent of Republicans saying that should be his next step.

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