Symbolic imageVance and Trump blame Iran war for Republican midterm rout
Vice President JD Vance wrote on Wednesday that the Iran war is why Republicans lost the midterms. President Donald Trump called that largely true but said he would start the war again.
Vance posted on X on Wednesday, 4 November, that "the reason we lost is the war" and challenged anyone who thinks losing the Senate was worth it to say so. He cited a pollster who said defecting 2024 Trump voters wanted an end to the war, lower living costs, "America First" and a changed relationship with Israel. The Guardian reads the post as an attempt to distance himself from the unpopular war before a possible 2028 run; he had reportedly been sceptical of it. Trump had told the Wall Street Journal a day earlier that "Iran was a piece of it". Asked about Vance's claim on Wednesday, he said it was "largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term".
Trump stands by the war
Trump said he would do it again because "you can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon". He also told the New York Times that he was not on the ticket and that some candidates he endorsed "fought me", and he blamed Texas Governor Greg Abbott's defeat on Abbott becoming a "RINO", according to Al Jazeera.
Democrats eye spending leverage
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the war must end and suggested his party could use its control over federal spending to press the White House, Folha reports. As counting continued, Folha put Democrats at 228 House seats against 139 for Republicans.
Markets react to Democratic sweep
Markets whipsawed after the result, with AI stocks hit and the dollar and gold moving.
Other opinions
The Jerusalem Post, an Israeli outlet, leads with Vance naming ties to Israel alongside the war, while Al Jazeera stresses that Trump denied responsibility for the rout.