By Adam Cancryn, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump insists he’s willing to wage war on Iran “forever.”
But just days into the fight, many of those around him are already itching to get out.
The US assault on Iran has stoked fears among Trump’s aides and advisers about the political consequences of being drawn into a prolonged war with no clear endgame and little buy-in from the public, according to several people familiar with the matter.
The conflict has already cost six American lives, with officials bracing for the toll to climb higher in subsequent days. The stock market is in turmoil and gas prices are rising, endangering key pillars of Trump’s midterm pitch. And inside the administration, aides are still struggling to explain why the nation went to war — and what exactly comes next.
“It’s a political risk, no ands, ifs or buts,” one Trump adviser said of an attack that the president has forecast could continue for weeks. “Let’s just hope something doesn’t go really wrong. Because if that happens, it’s going to be a problem.”
Trump has touted the initial strikes as an overwhelming success, casting them as proof of US military prowess and justification for his decision to abandon diplomacy in favor of a show of strength.
He’s been particularly energized by the killing of Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as the destruction of key targets meant to decimate the country’s nuclear ambitions and open the door to regime change.
Still, while Trump has taken that early progress as a sign that the public may support a continued offensive, some advisers and close allies are quietly arguing the opposite, pressing him to accelerate his timeline and declare victory as soon as he credibly can.
Political realities of an unpopular war
The war with Iran is broadly unpopular in early polling, with voters wary of another entanglement in the Middle East and unclear on the administration’s objectives.
It has also driven a split among prominent figures in a MAGA movement built in part on Trump’s 2016 vow to “abandon the failed policy of nation building and regime change” — fueling worries that the backlash could eventually spread to Trump’s broader base.
Those troubling dynamics are only likely to worsen as the death toll rises and the risk of a wider regional war remains front and center, allies and advisers have warned, further jeopardizing Trump and Republicans’ already-grim chances of avoiding a wipeout in November’s midterms.
“No one thinks this war is popular,” said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Trump State Department official. “At best, this is a distraction from the priority of the economy. But at worst, this could be political disaster, and it could be a disaster for generations in Iran and for the Republican Party.”
White House officials have so far downplayed the war’s political significance in public, insisting their approach is being driven solely by the need to protect Americans’ security.
“The president’s main priority was acting in the best interest of the American people and our national security,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN. “Those priorities outweighed any other issue.”
But behind the scenes, aides and advisers have been acutely aware of the danger that the war poses to Trump’s pres