Make America Great Again vs. The Pro-Israel Lobby: Examining MAGA Dissonance on Israel
Executive Summary
Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action) commissioned an independent poll by YouGov and Underpin LLC to survey 1000 MAGA Republicans nationwide. The poll is the first of its kind to examine what shifts, if any, have occurred among President Trump’s MAGA base when it comes to Israel, Palestine, and related issues. The results capture the degree to which MAGA supporters are disconnected from broader American attitudes on Israel or Palestine and the war with Iran – but nonetheless show signs of significant sympathy toward critical views of the U.S.’s unconditional support for Israel.
Note that throughout this report, we use “MAGA” as a shorthand for supporters of the “Make America Great Again” ideology that holds sway over the present Republican party.
Key Findings for the MAGA Shift on Israel:
- 56% of the MAGA base support conditions on aid to Israel, and 61% say the U.S. should halt aid to countries that violate international law and human rights.
- While the vast majority hold pro-Israel views, 17% of MAGA Republicans (almost 1 in 5) are more likely to support a candidate who seeks to end U.S. support for Israel. The same proportion thinks the pro-Israel lobby has too much influence.
- At least 10% of MAGA hold pro-Palestinian views explicitly, and 18% are sympathetic to Palestinians overall.
- 90% of MAGA Republicans say they would be more likely to support a candidate who puts America first, instead of providing aid or support to other countries.
- 46% of MAGA strongly support the war with Iran, while 11% oppose it.
- 10% attribute Israel as the cause of the war with Iran, with 7% believing “Israel is pulling Trump into war with Iran against U.S. interests.” Still, 53% believe Iran is a “direct threat to our national security.”
Read the full report, including methodology, here. The full survey cross-tabs are available here.
Do you support conditions on U.S. aid to Israel?
Data-driven takeaways and recommendations:
- Targeting conservative viewers on YouTube to breach the MAGA information gap on Israel’s violation of international law, U.S. foreign assistance law, and human rights.
- Messaging to MAGA should emphasize domestic priorities in direct contrast to foreign aid and wars.
- Proactively message costs & Israeli interests of U.S. war with Iran: 1 in 5 associate the war with Israel, and a similar portion are still unsure of the war’s rationale. Messaging that includes the cost of war and its continued budget priority over domestic issues and services has the potential to shift MAGA’s overall support for the war.
- Focus on rising U.S. gas prices, public benefit needs around healthcare and affordability, and Congressional deficit spending serving billionaires and foreign wars in MAGA messaging to reinforce MAGA’s orientation toward the domestic and away from pro-Israel priorities or views.
- Avoid religious discourse surrounding Israel and Palestine, which largely serves pro-Israel views.
- Amplify former content critical of Israel from trusted messengers like the late Charlie Kirk, and avoid amplifying polarizing influencers such as Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and Nick Fuentes.
Would you be more or less likely to support a candidate with the following positions?
Putting America first, instead of aid or support to other countries.
Supporting an end to U.S. support for Israel.
A new bill in Congress called “Block the Bombs” seeks to proactively block the delivery of major offensive US weapons to Israel. The bill would block US bombs, tank rounds, and artillery shells, which continue to be used on Palestinians in Gaza. Do you support or oppose such legislation?
