Republicans are grappling with sweeping losses in Tuesday's midterm elections, which will give Democrats control of both chambers of Congress and create significant challenges for President Donald Trump's agenda.
Vice President JD Vance offered a candid assessment of the results in a post on X. He blamed the war in Iran for the Republican defeats, saying Trump reached a similar conclusion.
"If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest," he said. "But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there."
Trump was asked about Vance's post during a beam-signing ceremony for the White House ballroom, which is under construction. It marked his first public remarks since the election, as republicans grapple with losing control of Congress.
He acknowledged that the war likely played a role in the midterm election results but said he would not have done anything differently.
“Well I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term and probably that’s probably it’s true,” Trump said.
“You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.
RELATED STORY | Trump deflects blame for Republican midterm losses as finger-pointing begins
Trump believes Republicans would have won if he were on the ballot, though he urged voters on the campaign trail to consider him on the ballot during his cross country campaign blitz ahead of Election Day as he sought to turn out his base. A White House official pointed to candidate quality.
“There was such love at those rallies it was incredible and we weren’t able to transfer the love to candidates,” he said.
Vance, meanwhile, argued that many voters who supported Republicans in 2024 switched to Democrats in the midterms. He also cited polling that indicated the cost of living and inflation were among voters' top concerns.
“The Vice President filed the first autopsy — it was the war. Others are writing a second that says it was candidates,” said Rob Burgess, a national republican strategist and CEO of Connector, Inc. “Both are looking at Washington. Neither is looking at the party. Our state parties, our recruiting, our message on gas, groceries and power bills…That’s where this was lost. Whoever rebuilds the institution is the nominee in 2028.”
Some conservatives, while acknowledging the results were not what they expected, believe their policy still stands.
“The conservative policy positions still resonate with the American public. We just didn't deliver the message, and we didn't deliver all of the things that we were supposed to have done,” said Doug Blair, a press manager with Heritage Action.
“I would argue that one of the things that Republicans and conservatives said that they would do is they would impact affordability issues. It's one of those things where Republicans came in on an agenda of making things more affordable, and they just weren't. It's the cost of groceries, gas, housing, healthcare. It's still up. We want to make sure that you know the American people are heard,” Blair added.
RELATED STORY | Voters elected governors to curb data centers. Lowering bills for gas and groceries is harder
But those economic issues will be a priority for Democrats, who are preparing to take control of Congress in January, according to House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. He pledged to work with Republicans on affordability issues.
"We've always made clear, as House Democrats, that we will find bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible in order to make life better for the American people," he told Scripps News.
Meanwhile, Democrats secured control of the Senate after pulling off surprise victories in traditionally Republican strongholds, including Texas and Kansas. Combined with their victory in the House, the results mark a major shift in power in Washington.
With Democrats controlling both chambers, Trump could face significant obstacles in advancing his legislative priorities during the final two years of his presidency.
While the President has suggested he could work with democrats on some items, the White House is also warning “In the final two years of his presidency, Democrats will try — and fail — to reverse everything President Trump has done” as Trump, who has already leaned into executive authority in his term thus far, has underscored veto power.
“I think that look I’ll get along probably with the democrats unless they want to be destructive but I have the power of the veto so if we don’t like what they’re doing or they’ve already called and they want to talk about things and that’s fine,” Trump said.
Democratic lawmakers are also expected to pursue investigations into the administration.
“If crazed Democrats want to abuse their power and politicize their process of investigations, subpoenas, and destroying lives, they should be reminded that we still control the federal government and all of its powers,” said a White House official.
Control of the Senate could also complicate Trump's ability to confirm future Supreme Court nominees if a vacancy arises, giving Democrats the power to block his selections.
