U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the war with Iran was partly to blame for the Republican Party's sweeping losses in the midterm elections, according to news reports [1][2].
Democrats won control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate after the elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3. In separate interviews reflecting on the defeats, Trump said, "I think a part of it was Iran," according to Middle East Eye [1]. He told the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that "Iran was a piece of it." [2]
Vice President JD Vance also blamed the conflict for the party's performance. "The reason we lost is the war," he wrote on X, according to Responsible Statecraft. Vance added, "The president himself said so last night."
Trump Stands by Decision to Attack Iran
Trump told WSJ he did not regret the decision to join Israel in attacking Iran. "I did the right thing," he said. "I would have done it again."
According to the Epoch Times, Trump told reporters at the White House, "I knew the war was going to impact it, but whether it impacted or not, Iran can't have a nuclear weapon."
The U.S. and Israel went to war with Iran at the end of February, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reportedly presented Trump with intelligence from Mossad that doing so would lead the Iranian people to rise up and overthrow their government. The stated aim was regime change, according to Middle East Eye. Trump's statements came after the U.S.-led conflict, which he had promised would last "a few weeks," instead metastasized into a quagmire, as reported by NaturalNews.com.
Trump told CBS News that the war would end on his terms. "It'll end when I say it ends," he said, according to Middle East Eye.
War's Aftermath and Cost-of-Living Message
Despite killing a slew of Iranian leaders, including former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the government in Tehran has remained intact and the Iranian military has seized control of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices skyrocketing across the globe. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has caused what the International Energy Agency calls a major supply disruption, contributing to a 56% surge in U.S. gas prices since the bombing began, reaching $4.517 per gallon, according to NaturalNews.com.
The attendant rise in the cost of gasoline and other goods at home in the U.S. was a theme of the Democrats' messaging, with candidates across the country blaming the war for the high cost of living, according to Middle East Eye. A survey released in June by Reuters/Ipsos found that only 24% of Americans believed the U.S. war with Iran was worth its costs, while half of respondents said the conflict was not worth it, as reported by NaturalNews.com. By September, Republican approval of Trump's handling of the war had dropped 13 percentage points, according to a CNN/SSRS poll.
While campaigning before the election, Trump told reporters that oil and gasoline prices would not decline until "right after" the midterm elections. "Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward," he said, per NaturalNews.com. At a rally in Lubbock, Texas, he told the crowd, "You'll see Iran in a couple of weeks, if you don't mind," referencing plans to potentially renew a major air campaign on Iran.
Reactions in U.S. and Iran
Abbas Alawieh, founder of the Uncommitted Movement and a candidate for the Michigan State Senate, told Middle East Eye's Rhana Natour that voters lost trust in Democratic leadership in 2024 because they were out of touch with ordinary working people in America. Asked after the midterm results about reports that he was considering using a nuclear weapon on Iran, Trump said, "I don't need it, we've knocked them out already, 90%," according to Middle East Eye.
In Tehran, the U.S. election results were met with satisfaction. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X, "Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," Middle East Eye reported. Iranian officials have previously said they had no intention of engaging in peace talks with the United States.
The outcome also drew sharp reactions from military experts. In an interview on BrightVideos.com from March 2026, the Health Ranger Mike Adams spoke with Andrei Martyanov about the conflict, noting that Trump had just delivered another speech, "filled with contradictions as usual," while troops were reportedly mobilized for what appeared to be a land invasion or possibly a rescue mission.
Conclusion
Throughout its duration, the war remained consistently unpopular with the American public. According to reports, Trump's stated priorities for the conflict have shifted over time, as he initially promised a quick, decisive campaign and later demanded nuclear inspections "into infinity" as part of a fragile peace deal.
Midterm results reflected voter concerns over the conflict and its economic impact, officials and analysts said. The outcome has raised questions about how Trump will navigate a divided government through the end of his term in January 2029, according to the Epoch Times. As an article from the Ron Paul Institute framed it: "When Republicans put America First, they won. When they put Israel First, they lost" [3].
References
- I think a part of it was Iran': Trump acknowledges war's impact on midterm election losses. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/I-think-part-of-it-was-iran-trump-acknowledges-impact-war-midterm-election-losses
- Trump Acknowledges Iran War Is Partly to Blame for Republican Losses. https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/trump-acknowledges-iran-war-is-partly-to-blame-for-republican-losses-c3cf572e
- Iran War Drags Republicans Down, Gives Democrats Blowout Victories. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/iran-war-drags-republicans-down-gives-democrats-blowout-victories/
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