Trump defends Iran war after Republican midterm defeats, blames voter turnout and Fox News, and pledges to work with Democrats
U.S. President Donald Trump defended his decision to launch a war against Iran and acknowledged the political consequences of higher gasoline prices after Republicans suffered major defeats in the November 3 midterm elections, while blaming weak voter turnout and Fox News for the party’s losses.
In a series of public statements and remarks following the election, Trump insisted that his military policy toward Iran had been justified, even as he conceded that voters may have been unwilling to accept its immediate economic consequences.
“I am totally convinced my decision on Iran, for the long-term good of our country, was the correct one,” Trump said.
The president argued that the election would have produced a different outcome had he personally been a candidate. “If I was on the ballot, we would have won very easily,” he said, adding that he had urged supporters to treat the midterms as though he were running.
“I told the voters, ‘Pretend I’m on the ballot,’ but they didn’t agree,” Trump said.
He also expressed disappointment with the performance of Republican candidates. “I’m a little bit surprised. I thought they’d do better,” he acknowledged.
Trump suggested that his administration’s policy toward Iran remained popular in principle, but that voters had been unwilling to bear the financial costs of the conflict.
“People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they probably weren’t willing to deal with the short, the early consequence of paying more for gasoline,” he said. “You know, I understand that. I don’t agree with it. Too bad.”
The president also criticized Fox News, accusing the conservative television network of contributing to Republican defeats by repeatedly giving airtime to Democratic opponents.
In a social media post, Trump said Fox News bore responsibility for the losses because it was “constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition,” using a derogatory misspelling of Democrats.
Despite the setbacks, Trump indicated that he was prepared to work with Democratic lawmakers rather than spend the final two years of his presidency blocking legislation.
“I have a right to veto everything, but I don’t want to just sit there and veto everything for two years,” he said. “We’re going to work with the Democrats. They’ve already called.”
Asked whether he intended to escalate the war against Iran, Trump declined to rule out further military action.
“We’re going to take a look, and if we see any opportunity to do one thing or another, we’re going to do it,” he said.
The comments left open the possibility of additional military operations even as Trump defended the strategic rationale for the conflict and acknowledged the domestic political backlash.
Trump also said he intended to become a “political pundit,” offering his own assessments of why individual Republican candidates had won or lost.
The statements came as Democrats were projected to take control of both chambers of Congress, threatening to constrain Trump’s legislative agenda and increase scrutiny of his administration during the remainder of his second term.