Donald Trump, US President, has acknowledged that the war with Iran contributed to his party’s sweeping losses in the midterm elections, as Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress in a major setback for his administration.
Trump made the admission on Wednesday in separate interviews with Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, saying the conflict was among the factors behind voters’ rejection of Republican candidates in Tuesday’s elections.
“I think a part of it was Iran,” he told Fox News, while separately telling The Wall Street Journal that “Iran was a piece of it”.
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The comments mark an acknowledgement of the political cost of a conflict that has become increasingly unpopular among Americans, particularly as its economic consequences have featured prominently in the midterm campaign.
Despite recognising the war’s impact on the election, Trump defended his decision to launch military action alongside Israel against Iran, which began nine months ago.
“I did the right thing,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “I would have done it again.”
The war has been a major source of political pressure for the president, who campaigned on a promise of avoiding new wars. Its duration, shifting objectives and uncertainty over when it might end have raised questions about the administration’s handling of the conflict.
Trump has alternated between threatening to intensify US military strikes and suggesting that he could bring the war to an end at any time.
War and rising living costs shape election debate
Democratic candidates repeatedly linked the conflict to rising fuel prices and the broader cost of living, arguing that the war was placing additional pressure on households already struggling with expensive goods and services.
The economic consequences of the conflict became a central campaign issue, with Democrats using public dissatisfaction with the war to challenge Republican candidates and the president’s foreign policy.
The results handed Democrats control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, giving the opposition party greater authority over congressional business and oversight during the final two years of Trump’s presidency.
Read also: Trump’s low approval, high prices put Republicans under pressure ahead of US midterms
The losses also represent a setback for a president who had made his record and policy agenda central to Republican campaigns across the country.
Iran welcomes Republican losses
In Tehran, the election outcome was received positively by Iranian officials, who interpreted the Democratic victory as a sign of American opposition to the war.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the results reflected public rejection of the conflict.
“Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.
His remarks reflect Tehran’s effort to portray the US election outcome as a rebuke of Washington’s military campaign, although the result does not in itself indicate a change in US policy towards Iran.
Democratic control of Congress could increase scrutiny of the administration’s military decisions and foreign policy, but Trump remains president and retains significant authority over the conduct of US military operations.
The election has nevertheless exposed the domestic political costs of the Iran war, with Trump acknowledging that the conflict played a part in the Republican defeat even as he maintains that the decision to launch it was justified.
Faith Omoboye is a foreign affairs correspondent with background in History and International relations. Her work focuses on African politics, diplomacy, and global governance.
