On the morning after Americans handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, President Trump stood among the scaffolding of his White House ballroom and conceded something rare in politics: that his war with Iran had likely cost his party at the ballot box. He wrapped that admission in familiar conviction, insisting that the price of fuel was a temporary toll on a longer necessity, the prevention of an Iranian bomb. It is a reminder that every governing gamble eventually presents its invoice to the public, and that leaders who stake a nation on distant threats must reckon with the vot
Trump Concedes Iran War Hurt Republicans at Midterms, But Says He'd Do It Again
"The reason we lost is the war," Vance said.
Mark
Trump said the war hurt Republicans but he'd do it again. Isn't that contradictory?
Mimi
Not in his framing. He calls the price hit short term and the nuclear argument long term. He accepts the political cost without conceding the decision was wrong.
Mark
Vance went further, didn't he?
Mimi
He did. He said the war is why they lost and dared people to argue it was worth losing the Senate for six years.
Luke
Worth noting that's Vance's and Trump's own diagnosis. The reporting also cites economic concerns like tariffs, debt and data centers, so the war isn't the only named factor.
Mark
Hegseth stays, though.
Mimi
Trump said he's doing a very good job. Hegseth has been the face of the campaign and has clashed with Democrats in budget hearings.
Luke
And those hearings will now be run by a Democratic majority. What they'll actually do with that is not yet known.
Mark
Are all the races settled?
Mimi
No. Mississippi and Alaska are still counting, and Alaska is tangled in the second Dan Sullivan allegation.
Luke
That's an allegation, and Peltola denies it. Also, her lead is 637 votes while the other Sullivan has 3,600, but the source doesn't say how those votes would have gone otherwise.
Il Polso
- A blue wave crashed over Washington, and by Wednesday observers were calling it a tsunami that caught even hopeful pundits off guard.
- Vice President Vance publicly blamed the Iran war for the defeat, challenging anyone who thought it worth losing the Senate for six years to say so openly.
- Trump answered that the war was 'largely true' as a cause, admitting higher gasoline prices, yet vowed he would make the same decision again.
- Defense Secretary Hegseth keeps his post as Congress prepares to scrutinize war funding and the military budget in January.
- Two Senate races hang in the balance, with Mississippi and Alaska counts stretching toward days or weeks as ballots are checked.
- Trump warned Democrats against impeachment, even as his grip on Congress loosens and his foreign policy faces new limits.
On the morning after Americans handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, President Trump stood among the scaffolding of his White House ballroom and conceded something rare in politics: that his war with Iran had likely cost his party at the ballot box. He wrapped that admission in familiar conviction, insisting that the price of fuel was a temporary toll on a longer necessity, the prevention of an Iranian bomb. It is a reminder that every governing gamble eventually presents its invoice to the public, and that leaders who stake a nation on distant threats must reckon with the voters who pay the immediate cost.
On Wednesday, standing at the site of the White House ballroom, President Trump was asked whether Vice President JD Vance was right. Vance had written that Republicans lost the midterms because of the war on Iran. Trump's reply was that this was "largely true." The war had pushed gasoline prices up, he said, but if he had to do it again, he would, because Iran cannot be allowed a nuclear weapon.
The answer came a day after Democrats swept both the House and the Senate. Pollsters had foreseen a blue wave, but its scale surprised even optimists, and Republicans lost seats in states they had held for decades. Vance's post was blunt: many 2024 Trump voters, he argued, had turned out in anger, and anyone who believed the war was worth losing the Senate for six years should say so plainly.
The costs are concrete. The campaign has consumed tens of billions of taxpayer dollars and lifted fuel prices, while oil, data centers, tariffs and debt also weighed on voters. Trump kept Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has championed the campaign and clashed with Democrats over the military budget, scrutiny that will likely intensify in January.
Trump said he was willing to work with the opposition but warned Democrats against impeachment, which he said would destroy their party. Two Senate contests remain open: in Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom trails Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith by under 1,200 votes, and in Alaska, Mary Peltola's narrow lead is clouded by allegations about a second candidate with the same name as her rival. Abroad, Zelenskyy hopes for more support for Kyiv, while Merz expects Trump to keep governing by executive order.
On Wednesday, standing at the construction site of the White House ballroom, President Donald Trump was asked whether his vice president was right. JD Vance had written in a long post on X that the Republicans lost the midterms because of the war on Iran. Trump's answer: "largely true." The war, he said, had pushed gasoline prices up a little in the short term. But if he had to do it again, he said, he would, because in the long run it was the only answer and Iran cannot be allowed a nuclear weapon.
The exchange came a day after Democrats took both the House and the Senate. Pollsters had predicted a blue wave, and by late Tuesday it had arrived. By Wednesday morning the scale of it had been described as a blue tsunami, surprising even optimistic pundits. Republicans lost races in states they had held for decades.
Vance's post was blunt. Many voters who backed Trump in 2024, he wrote, turned out and voted Democratic out of anger. "The reason we lost is the war," he said, referring to the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. He challenged anyone who thought it was worth it, even at the price of losing the Senate for six years, to say so openly, calling that at least honest. He added that any honest conversation about the path forward must start there, while saying he remained hopeful about the country.
The costs are concrete. The war has cost American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars and sent fuel prices climbing, both of which proved liabilities for Republicans. Economic worries more broadly, including oil prices, data centers, tariffs and mounting debt, also shaped the result.
Trump ruled out firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has also used the title Secretary of War since Trump rebranded the Pentagon. "I think he's doing a very good job," the president said. Hegseth has championed the Iran campaign and clashed with Democratic lawmakers in tense hearings over the military budget, the kind of scrutiny likely to intensify once Democrats take control in January.
On the incoming majority, Trump said he was willing to work with the opposition, but warned Democrats against impeachment. He said it would destroy the party and that there is "no reason" for him to be impeached. The House impeached him twice in his first term; the Senate never convicted him.
Two Senate races remain undecided. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by fewer than 1,200 votes with 96% counted, according to AP. Thousands of ballots still need eligibility checks, so a result may be days away. A Colom win would make him the first Democratic senator from Mississippi since 1982 and the first African American from the state in the Senate since Blanche Bruce, who served from 1875 to 1881. In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Dan Sullivan by 637 votes with 75% counted, in a race clouded by allegations that her aides recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan, who had 3,600 votes. Peltola says she knew nothing about other candidates and is not interested in tricking voters. With ranked-choice voting and many early and absentee ballots outstanding, that result could take weeks.
Elsewhere, Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan's Senate race to become the first Muslim senator in US history, James Talarico won a Texas Senate seat for Democrats for the first time in decades, and Annie Andrews stunned Republicans in South Carolina. Democrats also won governorships in Ohio and Georgia, and Gina Hinojosa defeated Greg Abbott in Texas. House Speaker Mike Johnson is reportedly unlikely to seek the minority leader post, while Jim Jordan is expected to announce a bid.
Abroad, reactions were mixed. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ZDF he hopes Democratic gains will bring more support for Kyiv. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was less enthused, predicting Trump will keep governing by executive order, though budget and military planning will change. Tesla and SpaceX shares fell about 5% after Elon Musk, who spent nearly $500 million backing Republicans, saw Texas flip. What to watch next: how Democrats use Congress's power of the purse on war funding, oversight and data-center regulation.
Citazioni salienti
I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term. But if I had to do it again, I'd have to do it again.— President Donald Trump
The reason we lost is the war.— Vice President JD Vance
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Deutsche Welle ↗
Politics & Governance