President Donald Trump said the war with Iran played a part in Republicans’ midterm losses and that he would make the same decision again. He said many people took issue with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the war cost Republicans the election.
Asked by reporters whether Vance’s remarks had affected their relationship, Trump said, “No, not at all.” He added, “But a lot of people didn’t like his comments. But not me,” before explaining what he thought Vance had left out.
“He was right, other than one thing. He should have made one other statement. One statement that I think is very important. If you had it to do again? Would you do it again? The answer is yes,” Trump said. “I can tell you, if I had it to do again, this historically, for history, will go down as one of the best things we ever did.”
Q: Has JD Vance's comments about Iran, questioning some of those decisions, impacted your relationship?
Trump: A lot of people didn't like his comments… He should have made one other statement… "If you had it to do again, would you do it again?" The answer is yes. pic.twitter.com/kx78sBbbMq
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) November 9, 2026
Trump first acknowledged the political cost of the war in recent interviews, explained The Hill. Late Tuesday, he told the newspaper that the conflict, now in its eighth month, “was a piece of it.” Vance went further in a social media post about Republican defeats in battleground races.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote. “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.”
The post drew criticism from members of both parties. Asked on CBS’s “60 Minutes” whether he knew in advance what Vance planned to say, Trump replied, “He asked me, ‘What do I think?’ I said, ‘Write what you feel.’”
60 MINUTES REPORT: Ross Douthat interviews President Trump in his first sit-down interview since the 2026 midterm elections.
The wide-ranging conversation covered immigration and corruption, Iran and artificial intelligence, his potential successors and his own mortality. The… pic.twitter.com/rVNbgRlQhS
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 9, 2026
Trump also defended the campaign in the CBS interview, saying he believed “historically this will be a very good decision” because “you can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
“Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not, but you know, I have to go with what’s right for our country,” Trump said. “If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what happened. I’ve stopped them from having a nuclear weapon. That’s a big thing.”
Trump left open the possibility of further military action against Iran, though he said it was unlikely if peace talks continued to advance.
