President Donald Trump blamed his absence from the ballot and rising energy costs tied to the Iran war for Republican losses in the 2026 midterms, defending his military decisions while expressing willingness to negotiate with the incoming Democratic congressional majorities.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump acknowledged early Wednesday, Nov. 4, that the war with Iran and its impact on gasoline prices contributed to Republicans’ sweeping midterm election losses, while insisting he would make the same military decisions again and expressing willingness to work with Democrats after they captured control of both chambers of Congress.
The president’s comments followed a difficult Election Day for Republicans, who lost their House and Senate majorities despite an extensive campaign operation involving Trump, Vice President JD Vance and prominent administration officials. In interviews following the results, Trump attributed the defeats partly to his absence from the ballot, but also recognized that rising energy costs and the prolonged conflict with Iran had influenced voters.
“Iran was a piece of it,” Trump said during a telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal, identifying the conflict as one factor in the Republican setbacks. He nevertheless rejected the suggestion that the election results should cause him to reconsider his decision to launch military strikes against Iran earlier this year.
“I don’t think about it. I did the right thing. I would have done it again,” Trump said.
The president maintained that the military campaign was necessary to address Iran’s nuclear capabilities and protect American interests. However, the conflict, now in its ninth month, has contributed to higher oil and gasoline prices, creating economic pressures that Democratic candidates emphasized throughout the midterm campaign.
Speaking separately with Fox News, Trump distinguished between public opposition to the military operation and concerns about its financial consequences.
“I think a part of it was Iran,” Trump said, according to Reuters’ account of his post-election interviews.
He argued that voters were particularly frustrated by higher gasoline prices resulting from the conflict, rather than necessarily opposing his administration’s military objectives.
“People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they really probably weren’t willing to do the short-term consequence of paying more for gasoline,” Trump said.
The president’s acknowledgment represented a shift from his initial Election Day response, when he placed primary responsibility for the Republican losses on the fact that he was not personally seeking reelection.
“I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social statement Tuesday night.
Trump repeated that argument in his subsequent interviews, saying Republican candidates had struggled to generate the same level of enthusiasm and turnout that helped return him to the White House in 2024.
“The biggest issue is that I wasn’t on the ballot,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
The losses came despite an extensive campaign operation intended to preserve Republican control of Congress. According to a report by Just the News, Trump participated in 29 in-person campaign rallies and more than 40 telephone rallies, while members of his administration and other Republican surrogates appeared at more than 500 events nationwide.
Senior advisers told the publication that Trump’s political action committee committed approximately $450 million to the midterm effort, including an additional $50 million during the final week to support Republican House candidates. The campaign also relied heavily on advertising, text messages, direct voter communications and appearances by prominent Republican officials.
The investment was intended to overcome the historical tendency of the president’s party to lose congressional seats during midterm elections. Nevertheless, Democrats captured both chambers, defeating Republican candidates in several competitive states and making gains in areas that had strongly supported Trump two years earlier.
Among the most significant Senate outcomes were Democratic victories in Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and South Carolina. Democrats also defeated Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, securing the seats necessary to take control of the Senate.
The results included the election of Democrat James Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton in Texas, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown over Republican Jon Husted in Ohio and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over Republican Michael Whatley.
Republicans also lost governorships in several states. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, while Democratic candidates captured the governor’s offices in Georgia, Iowa and Ohio.
Trump subsequently criticized some unsuccessful Republican candidates, suggesting that individual campaign decisions had contributed to the party’s losses. He specifically criticized Abbott following his defeat in Texas and questioned whether the governor had remained sufficiently aligned with Republican voters.
Despite those criticisms, Trump indicated that he would recognize the election results and attempt to establish a working relationship with congressional Democrats.
“I think we’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll get along very well with them,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal. “If we don’t, we’ll be very tough on them, they’ll be very tough on us.”
The president also expressed his willingness to accept the outcome in a separate interview with The New York Times, saying he expected opportunities for cooperation despite the change in congressional leadership.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump said.
His comments suggested a pragmatic approach to the divided government that will emerge when the new Congress convenes in January. However, Trump made clear that his willingness to negotiate would not prevent him from exercising presidential authority to reject legislation he opposes.
The president subsequently highlighted his veto power, signaling that Democrats would still need to negotiate with the White House to enact legislation even after taking control of Congress.
The new congressional balance will substantially change the administration’s legislative environment. Democrats will gain control of House committees, oversight investigations and federal spending negotiations, while their Senate majority will control the confirmation process for presidential nominees and federal judges.
Republicans will retain the presidency, but significant legislation will require agreement between the administration and Democratic congressional leaders. The change could affect federal spending, immigration policy, economic legislation and the administration’s handling of the war with Iran.
The conflict emerged as a prominent campaign issue because of its economic consequences. Democratic candidates repeatedly argued that the administration’s military operations had increased gasoline prices and contributed to rising household expenses. Trump disputed criticism of the military campaign itself, maintaining that confronting Iran was necessary for American and international security.
According to The Wall Street Journal’s reporting, republished by To Vima, Trump acknowledged that the war had become a persistent challenge for his administration but continued to defend the original decision to launch the operation.
His remarks also came as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict remained unresolved. The administration has alternated between discussing possible agreements with Tehran and warning of additional military action, leaving uncertainty about the war’s duration and its continuing effects on global energy markets.
Iranian officials interpreted the American election results as evidence of public opposition to the conflict. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf responded Wednesday by declaring that American voters had rejected the war.
“Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message,” Qalibaf wrote on X, according to Reuters.
Trump, however, rejected the characterization that the election represented a repudiation of his military decisions. He maintained that the operation against Iran was justified and argued that economic consequences, particularly higher gasoline prices, were more significant politically than the military campaign itself.
The election results nevertheless exposed the challenges facing the administration during the remaining two years of Trump’s presidency. Democrats will have greater authority to scrutinize military spending, investigate administration decisions and challenge domestic policies, while Republicans must evaluate why their substantial campaign investment failed to preserve congressional control.
With additional ballots still being counted Wednesday, the precise extent of the Republican losses remained subject to final results. Democratic control of both chambers, however, was established, marking a major change from the unified Republican government that followed Trump’s 2024 presidential victory.
Trump’s response combined an acknowledgment of the Iran war’s political consequences with a continued defense of his foreign policy and an assertion that his personal absence from the ballot was the primary factor in Republican defeats.
Although the president expressed confidence that he could negotiate with Democrats, he also indicated that the relationship could become confrontational if lawmakers pursued policies he opposed. The outcome establishes divided government for the final two years of his second term, with the administration’s legislative priorities dependent on negotiations with congressional leaders who campaigned against many of his policies.
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