US President Donald Trump has defended the US military campaign against Iran after Vice President JD Vance attributed Republican losses in the 2026 midterm elections partly to voter concerns over the conflict, fuel prices and the cost of living. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in a major setback for the Republican Party.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday (4 Nov), Trump said the Iran war had “probably” affected the election outcome by contributing to higher petrol prices in the short term.
However, Trump said he would make the same decision again, arguing that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was necessary.
In an X post, JD Vance argued that the main issue behind the Republican defeat was not turnout, but that some Trump–Vance 2024 voters shifted their support to Democrats in 2026.
“The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote, referring to the conflict with Iran. He also highlighted concerns over the cost of living, inflation and US foreign policy, saying an assessment of whether the conflict was worth the political cost should be central to discussions over the election result.