Trump under pressure on Iran war after Republicans' midterms defeat

President Donald Trump acknowledged on Wednesday that the war in Iran was partly responsible for the Republican Party's sweeping midterm election losses. Speaking to reporters at a White House ballroom construction site, Trump stated his comments were "largely true" because the conflict caused a short-term increase in gasoline prices. Despite the political impact, Trump maintained that the war was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and stated he would not change his actions.

The President's remarks followed comments from Vice President JD Vance, who attributed the 2026 midterm defeats to the Iran war and the U.S. relationship with Israel, according to Hindustan Times - World News. Trump indicated he was okay with Vance's assessment. Daily Maverick reports that Trump also suggested that while he believed the party would have won if he had been on the ballot, the "love" from his rallies could not be transferred to other candidates.

Following the elections, Democrats seized control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, according to Al-Monitor. Amidst the pressure, Trump ruled out firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stating the secretary is doing a very good job despite his role in pushing for military action against Tehran, as reported by Middle East Eye.

Brief written by urgent.news from Al-Monitor, The Korea Times, Daily Maverick, Middle East Eye, Hindustan Times - World News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.