In the aftermath of the midterm elections, which saw Democrats sweep into power in both the House and Senate and win statewide races where that hasn’t happened in quite some time, Vice President JD Vance posted a lengthy tweet in which he shared his thoughts on what happened.
As RedState reported, Vance wrote that he felt “the main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.” The main reason he believes Republicans performed so poorly on Election Day revolves mostly around the issue of the Iran war. Vance said he came to this conclusion in part after talking to pollsters he knows and trusts:
The reason we lost is the war. 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. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.
Many on the right had a lot of thoughts on Vance’s assessment, including RedState Managing Editor Jennifer Van Laar, who wrote in part: “If the Vice President wants to blame the electoral losses on the war, then he should take some responsibility for the messaging, and for the failed ceasefire, which had the effect of just dragging things out.”
President Donald Trump recently sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday night. He was asked by correspondent Ross Douthat if he agreed with what Vance had to say about Iran. Trump said he did – but would have added one thing to it:
President Donald Trump: I don’t disagree with it
Ross Douthat: Did you know he was gonna write that post?
President Donald Trump: He asked me what do I think. I said, “You write what you’re–” I said–
Ross Douthat: “Write what you–“
President Donald Trump: You write what you want–“
Ross Douthat: “Write what you feel”?
President Donald Trump: By the way, “What are you gonna write? “The only thing I wish he would’ve said there, if he felt it, and you’d have to ask him about that, but if you had to do it again, would you do it? You know, he’s part of a decision-making process. And my answer is an emphatic yes because you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.
Watch:
.@POTUS: “I don’t disagree… You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not, but I have to go with what’s right for our country.” https://t.co/eQCMBXFYcO
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2026
Trump also repeated something he’s said before about him not being on the ballot:
Well, number one, I was not on the ballot. But I campaigned hard for some people. And– I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love. There was love. We had massive rallies. You had to transfer those voters, however, to candidates that they didn’t like. But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, ’cause I had it down at a low, and there’s– a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.
Watch:
.@POTUS on the midterms: “I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation… But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up… And there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel.” https://t.co/8EvY7BnBAN
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2026
The more complete transcript and video can be read and watched here.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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