President Donald Trump’s war in Iran is drawing mixed reactions from his supporters in the North State.
But in some of the region’s deepest conservative strongholds, voters say they’re standing behind the president despite his campaign promises to avoid new wars and focus on domestic issues like the cost of living.
Robert Schaar, 63, is a resident of Red Bluff in Tehama County, where Trump carried nearly 70% of the vote in 2024.
He said the joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that started on Feb. 28 were needed to stop the country from developing nuclear weapons, one of the reasons Trump has given for the strikes.
“They were like minutes away from getting a nuclear bomb to bomb whoever they wanted to bomb,” Schaar said. “You know what I mean? FAFO.”
FAFO is the explicit term that generally means “mess around and find out.”
Conservative support in the North State for the military campaign in Iran aligns with a recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll that found about 86% of Republicans either “strongly support or support American military involvement in the region.”
Among those who don’t support military action is Jennifer Kissler, 77, a resident of Weed in Siskiyou County, where Trump won 58% of the vote in 2024.
“I like the man, and I think he’s smart and he knows what he’s doing,” Kissler said. “But jumping into Iran right away, I don’t think that’s right.”
Still, she said the president continues to have her support because she agrees with his immigration policies and believes he “gets things done.”
The conflict in the Middle East is driving higher oil prices around the world. Tankers that usually carry millions of barrels of oil out of the Persian Gulf are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway where about 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied gas is typically transported, for fear of attack, The New York Times reported.
That’s raising gas prices across the country and in California. AAA reported March 11 that a regular gallon gas averages over $5 throughout most of the North State.
Tony Amaru, 58, is a resident of Willows in Glenn County, where Trump garnered 66% of the vote in 2024. He called rising prices “criminal” and blamed them on market fears of a prolonged war rather than an actual supply crisis.
“It should not be going up,” Amaru said. “We don’t have a shortage of oil at all right now. We’re also getting oil shipped in from Venezuela right now.”
The Trump administration has signaled that it’s been involved in oil sales from Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro in January, The New York Times reported.
Overall, most Americans don’t support Trump’s war in Iran that has left at least seven U.S. service members dead so far. The NPR/PBS News Marist poll, released March 6, showed 56% “oppose or strongly oppose U.S. military action in Iran.”
