Trump will use war to silence 'domestic opposition': conservative historian

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Outside of MAGA circles, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr is drawing strong criticism for threatening retaliation against broadcasters who cover the Iran war in a negative way. Carr, in a March 14 post on X, formerly Twitter, wrote, "Broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions - also known as the fake news - have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not."

On the right, those comments are being condemned by The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson and MS NOW's Joe Scarborough. And conservative historian Robert Kagan, in an interview with The Bulwark's Bill Kristol published on March 16, warned that Trump may use the Iran conflict as an excuse for silencing dissent.

"One reason I worry Trump is willing to let this war go on for months is that it's a potential weapon against domestic opposition," Kagan told Kristol. "Brendan Carr just threatened to start looking into the broadcast licenses of news organizations running coverage the Trump Administration doesn't like. They could use this to silence the media further, or pressure corporate chiefs to rein in their news organizations. And that doesn't even get to national security authorities — whether it's around elections or some other context, justified by the fact that we're at war and facing threats. Can we trust the FBI under Kash Patel to tell us a threat is real, rather than manufacture one? What happens when there are anti-war protests? Do they get labeled domestic terrorists for protesting a great patriotic war?"

Kagan continued, "I've always thought (Trump policy adviser) Stephen Miller was particularly enthusiastic about the Venezuela action not because he cared about who was ruling Venezuela, but because of the domestic authorities it might give him to wield. I worry the Iran war, as it continues, could open the same opportunity. Trump would not be the first leader in history to find a foreign war useful for domestic consolidation."

During the interview, published in Q&A form, Kagan laid out a variety of ways in which he believes the Iran conflict is going badly for Trump.

"From the Europeans' perspective," Kagan told Kristol, "this war has been a real strategic disaster for two main reasons. First, oil prices have skyrocketed, and even before Trump lifted sanctions on Russia — over the unanimous objection of the other G7 leaders — that was going to increase Russian income. It's a real lifeline to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. Second, American forces are — perhaps unexpectedly — burning through major stocks of weaponry, particularly Patriot and other interceptors that Ukraine depends on heavily to defend its cities from Russian attacks."

Kagan continued, "So on both ends — helping Russia and hurting Ukraine — this has been a major setback for Europeans. And it's clear that the Trump Administration couldn't care less about the effect on Europe…. The Gulf States in particular are wondering whether they've joined the right team. They thought they had a pretty good arrangement with the Iranians: a kind of live-and-let-live agreement. So, they didn't favor the war and were overruled. And now, it turns out the United States can't really protect them."

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