Donald Trump Jr. has backed JD Vance’s fierce criticism of the US president’s war with Iran, after Republicans suffered a devastating defeat in the midterm elections.
The Republican Party lost control of both the House and Senate as voters delivered what amounted to a referendum on the White House’s record. Rising gasoline prices, the economic fallout from tariffs and the conflict with Iran all fueled growing public frustration.
As the grim results emerged, Vice President JD Vance published an unusually blunt statement on X, directly addressing the political cost of the president’s military campaign in Iran.
Vance, widely viewed as a leading Republican contender for the 2028 presidential nomination, outlined what he believed had driven the party’s losses while asking supporters to give the MAGA movement another opportunity in the future.
‘The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,’ Vance wrote.
Trump’s eldest son appeared to endorse the message, replying: ‘Every word of this is…’ followed by three 100 emojis.
Vance also challenged Republicans who had supported military action against Iran, calling on them to acknowledge their role in pushing the United States into another Middle Eastern conflict.
‘If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest,’ he said.
Donald Trump Jr. (pictured at a rally in Ohio on November 2, 2026) joined JD Vance’s criticism of the US president’s war with Iran
Vance released his election reaction just minutes before arriving at the White House in a motorcade for private meetings.
The president had withdrawn to the White House for closed-door policy discussions, with no public appearances planned for Wednesday night.
By early afternoon, however, he called reporters into the White House ballroom.
Trump did not address the Republican Party’s poor performance until journalists asked him about it. He then acknowledged that the war had played a role in the result.
‘It is largely true,’ he admitted, before adding: ‘If I had to do it again, I would do it. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.’
Although Vance had privately warned the president against military action, he had largely avoided openly criticizing the war throughout most of the year.
Vance issued his election statement shortly before arriving at the White House by motorcade for talks with the president.
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He urged Trump supporters not to lose faith, arguing that the Iran conflict was not intended to become another open-ended Middle Eastern war like the unpopular campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had also privately advised Trump to proceed cautiously before the Iran operation began. After the conflict failed to end as quickly as the president had predicted, Rubio kept his public comments on the campaign limited.
In a late-night Fox News interview, Trump acknowledged that higher gasoline prices had hurt Republicans at the polls, describing them as one of the war’s negative consequences.
‘I understand that, I don’t agree with it… it’s a short-term problem for long-term gain… The gasoline was caused by Iran,’ he said.
In the run-up to the midterms, Trump traveled to rallies across the country and urged voters to ‘pretend I’m on the ballot.’
Even before the full scale of the Republican losses became clear, however, he had begun distancing himself from responsibility for the outcome.
Speaking to Fox News the previous night, he said: ‘I don’t like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn’t on the ballot.’
Voters fill out their ballots to vote in the midterm election on Election Day in Detroit, Michigan, on November 3 2026
The president also claimed that he simply ‘didn’t like the [Republican] candidates’ who appeared on the ballot.
When CNN asked about the 2028 presidential race and whether Vance might seek the nomination, Trump replied: ‘Maybe he won’t run. I don’t know who is going to run.’
Democrats made significant gains among moderate voters, particularly in key Senate contests where they captured seats previously held by Republicans.
Approximately two-thirds of moderate voters backed the Democratic candidate in their local House race, up from the roughly six in 10 moderates who had supported Harris.
About eight in 10 moderate voters said Congress was not doing enough to check and balance the power of the presidency.
A similarly large proportion said inflation had caused them at least a moderate level of financial hardship over the past year.
More to follow.
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