Donald Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran contributed to the Republicans’ defeat in the midterm elections, while arguing that weak candidates were the bigger problem.
Speaking by phone to Fox News, Trump said voters broadly supported his approach to Iran but may not have been prepared for the immediate impact of higher gasoline prices.
“I understand that,” Trump said, while defending the policy as a temporary sacrifice that would produce longer-term benefits. “It’s a short-term problem but for long-term gain.”
The president maintained that his absence from the ballot was the main reason Republicans lost, even though he had repeatedly urged supporters to treat the election as if he were running, including during a Fox News appearance the night before voting.
“I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won in a landslide,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump responded after a string of damaging results indicated that Democrats were on course to win control of both the House and Senate. The losses included races in which he had held rallies aimed at helping Republican candidates.
Asked by Fox News whether he planned to change his Cabinet, Trump rejected the idea that his administration’s leadership was responsible for the result. “It had nothing to do with my Cabinet,” he said, describing the election as a reflection of “a mood in the air.”
Trump noted that presidents have historically suffered setbacks in midterm elections and said he was no exception. Still, he explained that the enthusiastic response at campaign rallies had led him to expect a stronger performance from Republicans.
“I’m a little bit surprised,” Trump said. “I thought they’d do better. We had tremendous rallies.”
Donald Trump reacts as he takes the stage during a campaign rally at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Montana, US, October 14
A White House official described the atmosphere as “defiant” and backed Trump’s assessment that the election result should not be viewed as a direct judgment on his administration.
“Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves,” the official said.
The official also predicted that Democrats who voted against Republican candidates could experience “buyers’ remorse” if gas prices fell quickly after the Iran conflict ended, while they remained represented by what the official called “liberal extremist Democrats.”
“Regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger,” the official added. “Buckle up.”
The mood at the White House midterm election watch party deteriorated rapidly as Republicans suffered one loss after another.
A White House official told the Daily Mail that staff became increasingly “defiant” during the evening, warning that Trump was more determined than ever to confront what he viewed as threats from a Democratic-controlled Congress.
Those threats were expected to include a possible third impeachment effort, along with aggressive congressional investigations involving Trump and members of his family.
“President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger,” the official said again. “Buckle up.”
Trump did not speak to reporters at the White House on Tuesday as the election results were announced.
A second White House official said the party remained “still going strong,” despite some Cabinet officials and staff members leaving the watch event before it ended.
Trump officials watching the event breathed a sigh of relief when top Republican candidates won narrow victories in Florida, offering some early hope in the evening.
But major losses for Republican candidates in Texas had the reverse effect.
Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ran for Senate, went down in blistering defeats.
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Trump took to Truth Social to rage against Abbott, whom he blamed for flipping to a ‘RINO’ – Republican in name only.
‘If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost,’ seethed Trump.
‘He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!’
Trump takes off his hat after hosting an event at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
White House officials blamed Republican candidates for heavy Republican losses, despite President Trump’s best efforts to bring out his supporters to the polls
The president endorsed Republican candidates in important races, including in South Carolina where the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline lost a bid for his Senate seat.
Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Graham, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Caroline since 1998.
Her defeat came despite Trump making three recent visits to the state to bolster her campaign. Andrews was ahead even in traditional Republican strongholds, including Greenville County.
In neighboring North Carolina, former Democratic governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, to capture the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
It was the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 2008, delivering a second Republican-held seat to the opposition.
Republicans also failed to dislodge Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who defeated Trump-backed Congressman Mike Collins to secure a second term.
Ossoff was the only incumbent Democratic senator defending a seat in a state Trump carried in 2024, making his victory a significant missed opportunity for Republicans.
GOP candidate Michael Whatley also lost his bid for the Senate in North Carolina.
Outside the White House was quiet as officials monitored election returns behind closed doors
The White House was critical of Republican candidates who failed to drive out President Trump’s base
The president spent much of Tuesday urging voters to support Republican candidates but failed to drive out the vote.
Another Trump advisor told the Daily Mail that Republicans failed to attract the same coalition that he rallied to victory in 2024.
‘Republicans have had ten years to figure out how to draw those low propensity Trump voters to the polls, if they can’t get it done, they deserved to lose.’
Trump spent the last 32 days holding 30 events in 20 states for Republican candidates. His MAGA Inc. PAC spent over $370 million for Republicans.
One Trump insider said the results were disappointing but that the president had always expressed doubt that Republican majorities could survive the midterms.
The White House legal team has been preparing for a slew of investigations launched by newly empowered Democrats in the next Congressional term.
‘I fully expect the president to dig in, and fight fight fight,’ the insider said. ‘He’s been through this before.’
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