DALLAS, Texas – The Republican Party’s midterm convention represents the party’s strategy to keep U.S. President Donald Trump front and center in the final days of the midterm elections, even as the first two years of his second term cast a polarizing political shadow.
That’s especially true when it comes to the war against Iran, which President Trump launched alongside Israel on February 28, and its ramifications for rising U.S. prices, an important issue for many voters.
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As President Trump prepares to deliver a keynote address in Dallas on Wednesday, the price of global benchmark Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since July, a reminder of the impact the conflict continues to have on global markets.
Nevertheless, supporters who spoke to Al Jazeera still see the president as someone who will rally Americans to vote Republican in November as the party fights to maintain its majorities in the House and Senate.
However, some expressed concern or confusion about the effects of the war.
“This is Trump-a-palooza, as people say,” said Carter Eisinger, a 27-year-old electrician from Fargo, North Dakota.
“I think some people say that in a derogatory way, but I think it’s very complimentary,” he added. “The reality is we are part of the Trump Republican Party.”
Still, Eisinger struggled to see how the war fit into President Trump’s “America First” vision.
“In my opinion, I don’t see much relevance of how the war in Iran will help us in this country,” he said. “If a war with Iran was justified, I would gladly pay for the gas, but I don’t see any justification for it.”
He felt similarly confused about the close relationship between the United States and Israel.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to get right back to what’s best for families, young people, and everyone in America,” he said. “If it’s helping Israel in a way that helps us, that’s great…but it needs to help us first.”
Others were more charitable about Trump’s approach to the Middle East, even if they believed the war with Iran was a failure.
Photographer Vijay Dixit, 59, of Houston, Texas, highly praised President Trump’s efforts on immigration. He also believed that the Republican Party was the party that would control the economy in the coming years.
But when it came to Iran, he said there had been a “miscalculation”, although he agreed with the Trump administration’s position that the war was ultimately a necessary response to the entirety of Iran’s actions in the 47 years since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“Iran needed to be stopped at some point,” he said. “When I say miscalculation, I mean underestimating the capabilities of the Revolutionary Guard Corps.”
Helen Bennett, 65, a small business owner and county Republican Party chairwoman from Maryland, likened the convention to a pep rally for high school students.
“We all need cheerleaders in our lives… It gives us a boost. We need to know that we are not alone and that we have followers,” she added.
However, while broadly supporting the Trump administration’s justification for the war, he acknowledged the potential political implications.
“That’s difficult,” she said.
Public opinion polls regularly suggest widespread disapproval of war against Iran among the American public, with independents in particular expressing disapproval. Many have cited affordability as a top priority heading into the midterm vote.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only a quarter of Americans think war is worth it.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has downplayed the prospect of an end to the war, focusing instead on efforts to open shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran continues to assert its influence.
Speaking to reporters as he departed for his party’s convention on Wednesday, President Trump sought to temper expectations that the war would end before the pivotal vote in November.
“It will take a little longer than the interim period,” he said, accusing Iran of deliberately holding out until November.
“They’re trying to influence the election so we can get vulnerable people there and leave them alone and have nuclear weapons,” he said.
He predicted that the war would end quickly after the final vote was taken.
“They can’t hold out anymore,” he said.
John Russell, 55, of Rockford, Illinois, who regularly attends Trump’s rallies as part of the Front Row Joes group, said he believes voters will still view the first two years of Trump’s second term in a positive light.
“The gas came up and there was a bit of a change,” he told Al Jazeera from the tournament.
“But it had to be done. We cannot allow (Iran) to acquire a nuclear bomb,” he said, referring to one of the administration’s main justifications for the war.
Iran’s government has long denied seeking nuclear weapons, and military analysts generally agree that destroying the program would require a major military escalation with ground combat.
Russell predicted the Republican bet would pay off in the polls.
“It’s going to energize the base,” he said of the tournament. “Some independents will vote for Trump-supporting candidates, and they will win.”
