US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the war with Iran contributed to the Republican Party’s poor performance in the 2026 midterm elections, citing higher fuel prices as a factor in voter dissatisfaction. However, he defended the military campaign, saying Washington had to act to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the conflict played a role in the party’s electoral defeat. He said the rise in petrol prices had affected voters in the short term but maintained that the decision to attack Iran was necessary.Trump said he would take the same course of action again despite the political consequences.“Well, I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short-term, and probably that’s uh probably it’s true. But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I’d have to do it again because long-term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he said as cited by ANI.The President also argued that his personal popularity had not translated into votes for Republican candidates. Claiming that his rallies drew large crowds, Trump said the enthusiasm surrounding his appearances had failed to carry over to other members of the party.“If I were on the ballot, we would have won. You saw the people, they were packed, thousands and thousands of people were there… But you couldn’t just transfer that love. There was such love at those rallies; it was incredible. We weren’t able to transfer that love to the candidates,” Trump said.Addressing the economic impact of the conflict, Trump identified fuel costs as a key source of voter dissatisfaction. He pointed to the resumption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, saying supplies had increased after being disrupted at the beginning of the conflict.“We have tremendous oil flowing out of Hormuz right now. At the beginning, there was none. And probably that’s the primary reason, the price, not the war, the price,” he said.Trump also said the United States had no alternative but to take military action against Iran, even if it meant facing higher oil prices. He said he had anticipated a larger increase in crude oil costs but considered the operation necessary.The President indicated that he was prepared to work with Democrats following their midterm gains, while warning that he would veto legislation he opposed. He also dismissed the possibility of Democrats pursuing impeachment proceedings, saying such an effort would damage their party.“I think it would destroy the Democratic Party if they did that. Because impeachment for no reason. What? For having a successful country? Our country is more successful now than at any time in its history,” Trump said.Trump made the comments while signing the final steel beam for the White House Ballroom, adding his signature alongside those of workers involved in the construction project.Earlier, Vance had also linked the Republican defeat to the Iran conflict in a lengthy post on X. He rejected claims that the party had lost because of weak voter turnout, arguing that internal polling indicated some people who supported the Trump-Vance ticket in 2024 had switched to Democratic candidates in 2026.“The real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone… The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote.He identified four main concerns among voters who had moved away from the Republicans: ending the war, tackling the cost of living and inflation, maintaining an ‘America First’ agenda and changing the country’s relationship with Israel.Vance also defended calls for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, saying the criticism of the administration’s approach reflected concerns among Republican voters. He urged party members to address the reasons behind the defeat rather than blame turnout or other factors.
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