Fracturing the MAGA base: A conversation on the War in Iran and its Reverberations at Home, with Steven Gardiner

In this Season 4 bonus episode, Koki sits down with PRA’s Principal Research Advisor Steven Gardiner to discuss the outset of the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, how the war compares to a history of U.S. imperial violence, and what it signals about the second Trump administration and its authoritarian project. Gardiner provides analysis of how the lack of support for the war signals possibilities for meaningful rupture in the MAGA coalition and adds significant complexity in the lead up to the 2026 midterm elections.

The conversation concludes with an evaluation of what this war means for anti-authoritarian organizing. What can and should organizers be doing to respond effectively in this moment? How do preparedness and resiliency factor into a strategic emphasis on recruitment and mobilization? 

With the possibility of significant fracture within the MAGA coalition and historically low levels of support for the war within the U.S. electorate, this is a time to act—both to deliver a unified rebuke of the war and to block Trump’s authoritarian progress.

Steven Gardiner is the Principal Research Advisor and former Research Director at Political Research Associates. He has been researching and writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardiner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. 

Episode Resources

• Habiba Farh, “Innocent Until Proven Muslim: Author Q&A with Dr. Maha Hilal,” The Public Eye, February 14, 2024.
• PRA Podcast, “U.S. Imperialism Comes Home to Roost: A Conversation with Ramah Kudaimi,” Inform Your Resistance, November 7, 2024.
• PRA Podcast, “Belligerence Abroad, Repression at Home: From Venezuela to ICE, with Steven Gardiner,” Inform Your Resistance, January 20, 2026.