Midterm elections brought Republican losses, as President Donald Trump and other party figures pointed to factors including the war with Iran and inflation.
Blaming Israel, President Trump said a “great dislike” for Israel contributed to the midterm results, alongside the conflict and rising gasoline prices.
“I think if I was on the ballot, it would’ve been a much different situation because you saw the level of popularity and love,” Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday.
“But there’s something beyond that. They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, ‘cause I had it down at a low, and there’s a great dislike, incredibly, for Israel,” he said.
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Looking ahead, President Donald Trump concurred that the conflict with Iran played a part in the Republican defeat, while Vice President JD Vance indicated that the party may need to reconsider its traditionally unwavering backing of Israel.
Following the vote, JD Vance published a post on X linking the setbacks to economic inflation and discontent over the Iran conflict, alongside a wish to prioritize America and shift the nation’s ties with Israel.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” JD Vance wrote.
Speaking on CNN’s “The Arena” on Thursday, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) pushed back against the vice president’s attempt to pin the midterm shellacking primarily on foreign policy.
“I don’t think the vice president did himself any favors by sending out that email or tweet or whatever it was after the election. This loss was not because of Iran. That might have played a part, but I don’t think every statewide Republican in Texas lost their election — every single one — because they think American foreign policy is too interventionist. I mean, put down the crack pipe. It’s a lot deeper than that,” John Kennedy said.
Sen. John Kennedy also admitted that Democrats “did a better job” of centering Americans’ economic woes in their campaign messaging.
“The economy belongs to President Trump.”
During the appearance on CNN’s “The Arena,” host Kasie Hunt pressed Sen. John Kennedy on his own presidential ambitions due to the election results dampening Vice President JD Vance’s chances of securing the Republican nomination.
President Donald Trump said he does not regret his decision to launch the war against Iran.
“You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not.”
The president added that other countries, including Israel, would have to share the financial burden of the conflict.
Without us, Israel would not exist,” Trump said.
Israeli journalist Amir Tibon wrote on X that Democrats and Republicans are competing to distance themselves from Israel, adding, “And if we don’t act quickly, the new Congress will start holding up arms sales.”
