President Donald Trump said Sunday that he agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s view that the Iran war, higher living costs and U.S. ties with Israel contributed to Republicans’ heavy midterm losses.
“I don’t disagree with it,” Trump said in an interview with 60 Minutes. He said Vance had spoken with him before posting his assessment on X, and had asked what Trump thought. Trump told him to write what he wanted, then asked what he planned to say.
Trump said he wished Vance had also made clear whether he would have supported striking Iran again. Trump said his own answer was an emphatic yes, arguing that Iran must not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon.
He maintained that preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons mattered more than the political fallout from the conflict. Trump said the decision might not look beneficial in the short term, but he believed it would be viewed favorably in the future. If Iran had obtained a nuclear weapon during his presidency, he said, he would have faced even harsher criticism.
Vance offered a blunt explanation for the Republican losses on Wednesday, after Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats picked up at least seven Senate seats and more than two dozen House districts.
Vance wrote that the war was the clear reason Republicans lost, noting that Trump had said as much the night before. He also argued that the political cost was worth paying. If people believed losing the Senate for six years was justified, Vance said, they should make that argument openly; whatever their view, he added, the reason for the defeat was widely understood.
