Trump insists military action was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
By Shula Rosen
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance was largely right in linking Republicans’ sweeping congressional election defeats to the war in Iran and US ties with Israel, but stood by his decision to begin the military offensive in February.
Trump made the remarks while speaking with reporters during a tour of construction work on a new White House ballroom, endorsing Vance’s interpretation of the election outcome while insisting that his handling of Iran had been justified.
“I know how he feels about it … I think it was fine. I thought it was good,” President Trump said of Vance’s post on X. “I knew the war was gonna impact [the election results]. Whether it impacted it or not, Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he added. “I would’ve done nothing different.”
Trump defended the US-Israeli military operation that began in February, arguing that military action was essential to keep Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
When questioned about previous remarks suggesting the war would end as soon as the midterm elections were over, Trump rejected the suggestion that he had made such a forecast.
“I said nuclear weapons would be destroyed. And that’s what happened with Midnight Hammer,” he said, referencing the June 2025 strikes that he had earlier asserted had completely eliminated Iran’s nuclear program.
“The war will end whenever I want it to. But it’s got to be done right,” President Trump added.
Vance had offered his explanation for the Republican losses after Democrats secured majorities in both the House and Senate.
Writing on X, the vice president pointed to polling that highlighted four major issues driving some of Trump’s 2024 voters to support Democrats instead: demands to end the Iran war, rising prices and the cost of living, putting America first and revising Washington’s relationship with Israel.
“Our voters showed up. And the above four reasons are why many of them voted for Democrats. This is according to a pollster who nailed the results,” Vance wrote.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
Vance said Republicans needed to confront the electoral fallout from the war instead of challenging the explanation for their defeat.
“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
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