President Donald Trump acknowledged the impact of the U.S. attack on Iran and soaring prices for the Republican Party’s crushing defeat in Tuesday’s midterm elections, but said the steps were justified and denied responsibility for the defeat.
“The fact is, we have the best economy, but because of the price of gas, people don’t feel like they have an economy without it. And the cause of the gas is Iran,” he told Fox News in a video call interview late Tuesday.
“People agree with what I’m doing with Iran, but they probably didn’t want the short-term consequences of paying more for gas. I understand that. I don’t agree with that.”
“I did the right thing, and I would have done it again,” President Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal of the Republican defeat, referring to the Iran war.
But Vice President J.D. Vance, a 2028 presidential candidate and likely heir to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, appeared to differ from Trump’s views on the wisdom of the conflict.
“The reason we lost is the war. The President himself said it last night,” he wrote. “If you want to argue that it was worth it, that it was worth losing the Senate for the next six years, then do it.”
“Everyone knows why we lost, and an honest conversation about where we go from here has to start there.”
Republican strategist James Davis said the war contributed to the party’s setbacks, but also contributed to a lack of a clear message.
“The war was definitely part of the war, and it helped swing voters toward the Democratic Party. But the biggest issue was not the war itself, but articulating a strategy that would give people confidence in that strategy,” Davis told Al Jazeera.
He added that the economic impact of the conflict, including high energy and especially diesel prices, affected all sectors of the economy and heightened Americans’ concerns about affordability.
criticize the candidate
Instead of acknowledging the failure of his strategy, President Trump blamed the losing candidates themselves, citing his own lack of participation in the polls as the reason the Republican Party had a hard time mobilizing voters.
“I wasn’t on that ticket,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times. “And because I wasn’t on the ticket, we couldn’t get enough people to vote.”
Mr. Trump blamed his losses on Republicans, many of whom he hand-picked and held multiple rallies.
“Some of the candidates I supported fought against me,” he said, adding, “There were a lot of flaws in them and they clearly weren’t accepted by voters.”
President Trump commented on Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s shocking loss, lamenting that his longtime ally had become a “Republican in name only,” without elaborating.
“If Texas Governor Greg Abbott had not become a RINO in the last six months of his political career, he would not have lost,” he said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.
In a preview of his expected governing style over the next two years, the president also posted a photo of his trademark red hat emblazoned with the word “veto” to convey his determination to block legislation passed by the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress.
“Atmosphere”
In the run-up to his defeat, Trump repeatedly said presidents tend to lose in midterm elections and dismissed suggestions that his policies had turned voters away.
President Trump told Fox News that he has no intention of making any changes to his cabinet after being reprimanded by voters.
“It had nothing to do with my cabinet. It was at some point. I think there was a vibe in the air.”
In a conciliatory memo, Trump said he wanted to work with Democrats but warned he would also stand his ground.
“I think we can work with the Democrats and get along very well with them. If we don’t, we’re going to be very tough on them. They’re going to be very tough on us,” he said.
“Can you please work with them on transgender child mutilation?” he added. “No, I don’t think so. But we were able to work on a lot of things with them.”
