Trump Defends Iran War as Voters Face Higher Prices

Donald Trump said he would wage war on Iran again, even as he acknowledged that the attack and higher prices contributed to Republican losses in Tuesday’s 2026 midterm elections. He denied responsibility for the defeats. The war’s costs showed up in voters’ concerns about gasoline and affordability; Trump’s answer was that the decision itself was right.

The Cost of the Decision

“We actually have the greatest economy, but because of the gasoline price, people don't see it as much as they would have without it. And the gasoline was caused by Iran,” Trump told Fox News in a televised phone interview late Tuesday. He said people agreed with what he was doing but “probably weren't willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline.” Then he added: “I understand that. I don't agree with it.”

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal about the Republican defeats, Trump gave no sign of changing course. “I did the right thing. I would have done it again.” In his account, the decision belonged to the president; the price burden belonged to the public, whose reluctance he said he understood but rejected.

The economic fallout extended beyond gasoline. Republican strategist James Davis said the war helped shift voters toward Democrats, while higher energy costs, especially diesel, affected all sectors of the economy and intensified concerns about affordability. Davis argued that the larger problem was a failure to explain the strategy clearly enough to give people confidence in it. His account puts the campaign’s problem in communications terms. The election result, meanwhile, arrived alongside the costs voters were already feeling.

Blame Moves Down the Ticket

Vice President JD Vance directly challenged Trump’s account. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote. He added: “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 said an honest conversation about what comes next had to start with the war.

Trump instead blamed his absence from the ballot and Republican candidates’ weaknesses. “I wasn't on the ticket,” he told The New York Times. “And because I wasn't on the ticket, we couldn't get enough people out to vote.” He said some candidates he endorsed had opposed him and “had a lot of flaws, and obviously they were not acceptable to the voters.”

He also attacked Texas Governor Greg Abbott after Abbott’s defeat, calling him a “Republican in name only,” or “RINO.” On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn't become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn't have lost.” He did not elaborate.

A Veto, Not a Change of Course

Trump posted a picture of his red cap emblazoned with “veto,” signaling his determination to block legislation carried by the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress. Before the election, he had repeatedly said presidents tend to lose midterm elections and dismissed suggestions that his policies had turned voters away.

He told Fox News he didn’t plan to change his cabinet, saying, “It had nothing to do with my cabinet. It's just a point in time. There was a mood in the air, I guess.” He said he wanted to work with Democrats, while warning, “If we don't, we'll be very tough on them; they'll be very tough on us.” Asked about working with them on “transgender mutilization of children,” he said, “No, I don't think so. But I could work with them on many things.”

The administration’s stated willingness to cooperate came paired with a threat of mutual toughness. On Iran, Trump offered no retreat at all: he said he’d make the same decision again.