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US Politics

Vance blames Iran war for Republican midterm losses, Trump defends it

Trump says Vance's view is largely true, but he would do it again, as Democrats won both the House and the Senate.

7 news outlets reported this · Little coverage from conservative outlets
Liberal4 outletsVance distances himself as Trump defends the warCenter3 outletsTrump concedes war hurt Republicans but stands by itConservative0 outletslittle coverage
Published 3 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

Democrats won control of both and the in Tuesday's elections. On Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance wrote a long post on X saying the war with Iran is why Republicans lost. "The reason we lost is the war," he wrote.

He said many people who voted for Trump in 2024 voted for Democrats this time because they were angry. He also challenged anyone who thinks the war was worth losing the Senate for the next six years to say so. Asked about the post at the White House, President Trump called it "largely true."

He said the war drove gasoline up "a little bit short term." But he said that if he had it to do again, he would, because "long term, it's the only answer." He called Vance's post "fine."

According to Deutsche Welle, Trump also said he is not considering firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and that he is willing to work with Democrats but warned them against . The ABC News Voter Poll found 34% of House voters called the war "crucial" to their vote. The Journal reports that administration officials are debating next steps in Iran, with some arguing for more military strikes.

Key figures
  • 34% U.S. House voters who said the Iran war was crucial to their vote, ABC News Voter Poll — ABC News
  • 49% House voters who said the cost of living was crucial, ABC News Voter Poll — ABC News
  • 55% House voters who said government corruption was crucial, ABC News Voter Poll — ABC News
  • About 6 in 10 voters who said the US made the wrong decision on Iran, AP Voter Poll — The Boston Globe

Three sides of the story

Liberal4 outlets

Vance distances himself as Trump defends the war

The Boston Globe leads with Vance publicly breaking from Trump's defense of the war and frames his post as an attempt to distance himself from voters' rebuke as he weighs a 2028 run. It quotes spokesperson Rosemary Boeglin asking "Why didn't he resign?" and former Pence chief of staff Marc Short saying the result "certainly doesn't help his case." ABC News headlines both men, Vance blaming the war and Trump saying he would "do it again," and builds on its Voter Poll, where 34% of House voters called the war "crucial" against 55% for government corruption.

Semafor describes "heated recriminations," with Trump insisting he "wasn't on the ticket" and a White House that blamed the losing candidates. Al Jazeera English's live headline says Trump admits the war "largely" caused the wipeout but says he "had to do it."

Center3 outlets

Trump concedes war hurt Republicans but stands by it

Deutsche Welle's roundup headlines Trump saying it is "largely true" that the war led to the loss, and carries Vance's line "The reason we lost is the war." It adds Trump backing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying "I think he's doing a very good job," and notes the war has cost US taxpayers "tens of billions of dollars." It also reports German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expecting Trump to keep bypassing .

The Hill's defense newsletter runs under "The blame game," saying Trump and Vance both pointed at the war. The Wall Street Journal's news item calls Vance's statement a "rare public rebuke" of a campaign his boss still supports and says officials are debating next steps, some favoring more strikes. A Wall Street Journal opinion piece, titled "JD Vance's Theory of Election Defeat," says he blames only the war: "Never mind corruption, or ICE raids."

Conservative0 outlets

Outlets on this side gave the story little coverage.

Money and daily life

For drivers and households, ABC News reports the Iran war has led to rising gas prices and says Trump's tariffs have cost the typical American household almost $1,000 a year. Trump said the war drove gasoline up "a little bit short term." Deutsche Welle reports that US taxpayers have paid "tens of billions of dollars" for the war.

All sources: 9 articles from 7 outlets

Liberal (5)

Center (4)

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