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Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is firmly back in MAGA camp after threatening to break with Donald Trump for thrusting America back into another armed conflict in the Middle East.
Cozart, an outspoken conservative and long-time Trump supporter, initially questioned the 79-year-old Commander In Chief last week over rising tensions with Iran.
'If Trump gets us in a war I will no longer support him and I'm sure most of you know I love Trump,' Cozart wrote on June 16.
That conflict, now in its 12th day, began with Israel targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, saying it could not allow Tehran to develop atomic weapons and that it feared the Islamic Republic was close to doing so. Trump followed by dropping bunker-buster bombs on nuclear sites over the weekend in a move that risked further destabilizing the volatile region.
Despite the escalating violence, Trump's triumphant claims of an Israel-Iran ceasefire were enough to assuage Cozart's fears apparently. In response to a White House post reading, 'Trust in Trump,' Cozart gladly admitted his mistake in questioning Trump's judgement.
'I'll gladly eat my words for what has transpired today,' he wrote, adding: 'lesson learned to trust the man.'
Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart is firmly back in MAGA camp after threatening to break with Donald Trump for thrusting America into another conflict in the Middle East
Cozart, an outspoken conservative and long-time Trump supporter, initially questioned the 79-year-old Commander In Chief last week over rising tensions with Iran
Cozart hasn't added any other thoughts on the subject as that fragile ceasefire initially faltered while Trump expressed frustrating with both sides.
An All-American at Ole Miss before becoming a second-round pick in the 2007 MLB Draft, Cozart went on to become an All-Star with the Reds in 2017 before moving on to play two seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
Cozart, 39, is active on X, where he frequently posts about the Reds, SEC baseball and Trump.
Israel had earlier accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect, and the Israeli finance minister vowed that 'Tehran will tremble.'
The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, state media reported, but explosions boomed and sirens sounded across northern Israel in the morning, and an Israeli military official said two Iranian missiles were intercepted.
Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a NATO summit that, in his view, both sides had violated the nascent agreement. He had particularly strong words for Israel, a close ally, while suggesting Iran may have fired on the country by mistake.
But later he said the deal was saved.
Cozart was firmly back in Trump's camp after POTUS triumphantly declared a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. That fragile ceasefire was soon violated by both Israel and Iran
'ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect!' Trump said in his Truth Social post.
Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he held off on tougher strikes against Iran after speaking to Trump.
Netanyahu said Israel agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with Iran, in coordination with Trump, after the country achieved all of its war goals, including removing the threat of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He said earlier on social media that he would not surrender.
Trump said Tuesday that he wasn't seeking regime change in Iran, two days after floating the idea himself in a social media post.
'I don't want it,' Trump told reporters on Air Force One. 'Regime change takes chaos and, ideally, we don't want to see much chaos.'
