President Donald Trump has acknowledged the impact of the United States’ attack on Iran and a sharp rise in prices on stunning Republican losses in midterm elections on Tuesday, but said the move was justified and denied responsibility for the rout.
Economic Fallout and the Iran Conflict
Speaking to Fox News in a televised phone interview late on Tuesday, Trump pointed to rising fuel costs stemming from the conflict. “We actually have the greatest economy, but because of the gasoline price, people don’t see it as much as they would have without it. And the gasoline was caused by Iran,” he said.
“People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they really probably weren’t willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline. I understand that. I don’t agree with it.” In a separate interview with The Wall Street Journal about the Republican defeats, Trump said regarding the Iran war: “I did the right thing. I would have done it again.”
Vice President JD Vance appeared to diverge from Trump’s assessment on the wisdom of the conflict. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” he wrote. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.” Vance added, “Everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
Republican strategist James Davis told Al Jazeera that the war contributed to the setbacks for the party alongside a lack of clear messaging. “The war was definitely part of it and has helped shift the electorate toward Democrats. But the biggest issue was not the war itself, but the clear articulation of a strategy that gives people confidence in that strategy,” Davis stated, adding that economic fallout from higher energy and diesel costs affected all sectors and intensified concerns about affordability.
Blaming Candidates and Looking Ahead
Trump did not acknowledge any personal failings in his strategy, citing his absence from the ballot as the reason Republicans struggled to mobilise voters. “I wasn’t on the ticket,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times. “And because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people out to vote.” He faulted losing Republicans he had endorsed and held rallies for, stating that some fought him and had flaws that were unacceptable to voters.
Commenting on the defeat of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Trump claimed on Truth Social that his longtime ally had become a Republican in name only. Ahead of the losses, Trump had brushed off suggestions that his policies turned off voters and stated to Fox News that he has no plans to make cabinet changes. Previewing his governing style for the next two years, he posted a picture of his red cap with the word “veto” to show his readiness to block legislation from the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress.
Trump expressed a desire to work with Democrats while warning he would stand his ground, noting potential areas of cooperation while ruling out others. “I think we’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll get along very well with them. If we don’t, we’ll be very tough on them; they’ll be very tough on us,” he said.
