Vice President JD Vance is looking to build ties with Trump voters who feel disappointed by the president’s foreign policy, as Republicans begin thinking about the 2028 election.
On Wednesday morning, after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterms, Vance publicly broke with President Donald Trump over the Iran war and the U.S. relationship with Israel.
A person familiar with events after the election said White House officials met Wednesday morning to coordinate the administration’s response. Later, Vance posted a lengthy message on X, blaming the Iran war for the party’s poor results. Trump had also suggested the conflict played a role, saying during an election-night call that the losses were partly due to the war.
“The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote, adding that Trump had said as much the night before. He argued that anyone who believes the conflict was worth the political cost should say so, but said an honest discussion about the party’s future has to start with why it lost.
Vance also cited advice from a pollster and political adviser, who outlined four ways Republicans could win back voters: end the war in Iran, address the cost of living and inflation, put America first, and change the country’s relationship with Israel.
A Trump administration official described the list as Vance’s appeal to the “new right”—a group of Republicans drawn to the original America First message of avoiding overseas conflicts, making life more affordable for families and securing the border. Some in that coalition, the official said, believe Trump has become too closely aligned with Israel.
For some conservatives, the Iran conflict is closely connected to Israel’s role in the Middle East and Trump’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The official said Vance was not breaking with Trump in the way former Vice President Mike Pence did after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Instead, Vance was trying to reach Trump supporters who disagree with, or feel let down by, the president’s foreign policy. The message, the official said, is that “Vance is our guy.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the meeting or Vance’s post-election message.
Vance has generally echoed Trump and the administration over the past two years, though he has voiced concerns about the Iran war. His comments and reports about his views suggest he has differed with the president on the conflict, despite his friendship with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trump said earlier this year that Vance had been “maybe less enthusiastic” about striking Iran from the outset.
Vance is widely seen as a leading possible Republican presidential contender in 2028, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Democrats had won 54 Senate seats to Republicans’ 44, after taking several traditionally Republican states, including Texas and Kansas, as well as strongholds such as South Carolina. Ballots were still being counted Wednesday in a close Alaska race that could give Democrats another seat and expand their majority.
The midterm results could reshape the 2028 campaign. Republicans are now confronting the challenge of winning back the Senate after a sharp setback pushed them toward a deeper minority in January.
Democrats had also won 237 House seats by Wednesday afternoon, well above the 218 needed for control. More results were expected as ballots continued to be counted and races were called.
