Iran war behind midterm defeat, says US Vice President Vance

WASHINGTON: United States Vice President JD Vance has said the war with Iran was the reason for the Republican Party’s heavy defeat in the midterm elections. In a long post on the social media site X on Wednesday morning, he wrote that the war was the cause of the loss and that the president himself had said the same the night before.

This is Vance’s first reaction since the results. He said pollsters had found that the problem was not Republican voters staying at home. Many people who voted for Trump and Vance in 2024 voted for the Democrats in 2026.

According to Vance, voters were angry about the Iran war, inflation and the cost of living, as well as the current US relationship with Israel. He said those who believe the war was worth losing the Senate for the next six years should make that argument, which would at least be honest. He also said the economic message was not effective in the final stage.

He urged Republicans to put their anger into the work of saving the country. He said he expected debate and differences within the party.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump called Vance’s statement largely correct. However, he said the war was necessary and that he would not have made a different decision. Speaking to Fox News, he said people agreed with his actions on Iran but were not willing to bear the short-term burden of costlier petrol. He also claimed that Republicans would have won easily if he had been on the ballot himself.

The war pushed up fuel prices in the United States. Prices rose by 3.7 per cent over the year to September. In exit polls, about 80 per cent of voters said inflation had caused them hardship, while 60 per cent blamed Trump’s policies for it.