Vance Blames the Iran War Entirely for the Republican Midterm Defeat: Trump Says He Did the Right Thing and Would Do It Again
U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in a lengthy post on X on November 4 reviewing the midterm elections, said the reason Republicans lost was the war on Iran. Democrats regained control of both the Senate and the House in the November 3 vote, scoring sweeping victories in Republican strongholds for the first time in generations.
Citing a pollster on his own side who had analyzed voters who switched, Vance said the top four priorities of voters who backed Trump in 2024 but abandoned Republicans this time were ending the war in Iran, focusing on the cost of living, putting America first, and changing the U.S. relationship with Israel. "The reason we lost is the war," Vance wrote. "The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so."
Vance also warned that establishment figures would try to explain the defeat away in the coming months, said anyone pushing amnesty for immigrants was lying to voters, and described an earlier recommendation to end the war as "sound advice." Reuters described the post as the most public break yet between the vice president and President Donald Trump, coming as the administration weighs whether to restart major combat operations against Iran; Vance, whom Trump has tasked with leading peace negotiations with Tehran, said on November 2 that the United States had set no deadline for resuming strikes.
Trump's response was far more measured. He told The Wall Street Journal that the Iran war was only one of several reasons for the defeat, while insisting the decision to go to war was right: "I did the right thing. I would have done it again." Asked on November 4 about Vance's critique, Trump said at the White House ballroom construction site that he would have done nothing different on the war, and, asked whether Vance was his heir apparent for 2028, said, "Maybe he won't run."
Voter data supports Vance's reading. An NBC News exit poll found 74 percent of respondents called the Iran war a crucial or major factor in their vote, while only 37 percent said the United States made the right decision to take military action against Iran. An October poll put disapproval of Trump's handling of the conflict at 65 percent.
The public split also touches Pentagon leadership. Reuters noted that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is already deeply unpopular in Congress, where some lawmakers are expected to seek his impeachment; Trump said on November 4 that Hegseth was "doing a very good job," and a White House spokesperson said the president has full confidence in him.
Related: Follow-Up: Vance Says U.S.-Iran Talks Are Making Progress, With No Deadline Set for Resuming Strikes
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国副总统万斯官方肖像。公共领域，美国政府作品，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Public domain, U.S. government work, via Wikimedia Commons.
