President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Sunday on “60 Minutes” that he agrees with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the war with Iran was the main reason Republicans lost badly in this week’s midterm elections, but said he would have added that he’d make the same decision again.
Vance had posted at length after Democrats won control of the House and Senate and picked up statewide races. He wrote that “the main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026,” and pointed to the Iran war as the central cause, citing conversations with pollsters.
The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. 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. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
CBS correspondent Ross Douthat asked Trump directly whether he agreed with Vance’s post.
I don’t disagree with it … The only thing I wish he would’ve said there, if he felt it, and you’d have to ask him about that, but if you had to do it again, would you do it? You know, he’s part of a decision-making process. And my answer is an emphatic yes because you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.
Trump also repeated a point he has made before about not having been on the ballot himself.
I was not on the ballot. But I campaigned hard for some people. And I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love. There was love. We had massive rallies. You had to transfer those voters, however, to candidates that they didn’t like. But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, ’cause I had it down at a low, and there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.
Vance’s post also drew criticism from within conservative media. RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar wrote that if the vice president wants to blame the losses on the war, “he should take some responsibility for the messaging, and for the failed ceasefire, which had the effect of just dragging things out.”
