Vance blames Iran war for Republican midterm losses as he weighs 2028 run

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Vice-President JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for Republican losses in the US midterm elections, saying voters wanted the administration to end the conflict and concentrate on the cost of living. His comments came as he considers his political future and a possible presidential campaign in 2028. In a post on X on Wednesday, he said the war was the reason the party lost and referred to President Donald Trump’s own remarks the previous night.

Vance urged supporters of the war to acknowledge its political cost. He argued that those who regarded the campaign as worthwhile should say plainly that it was worth the prospect of Republicans losing control of the Senate for six years. He cited polling from people he trusts, saying he had expected a poor result but was still surprised by it. According to his account, Trump voters turned out but wanted the war to end and wanted greater attention paid to inflation and household expenses.

Vance had campaigned for Republican candidates and, according to the report, privately counselled Trump against going to war. For much of the conflict he avoided direct public criticism, asking supporters to be patient and describing it as unlike the prolonged US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also reported to have advised caution privately, while keeping a low public profile after the operation lasted longer than Trump had predicted. Vance posted his criticism shortly before arriving at the White House for private meetings; Trump was also holding policy meetings, with no public events scheduled.

Trump acknowledged in a late-night Fox News interview that the war had driven up petrol prices and harmed Republicans electorally, though he described the effect as temporary and the expected gains as longer term. Reactions abroad focused on different implications. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he hoped the results would create an opportunity to end the war and ease living-cost pressures. London Mayor Sadiq Khan presented the Democratic victory as a rejection of Trump’s divisive politics. Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf linked Republican losses to the unresolved conflict, energy disruption and higher living costs, while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the vote could usher in a new period in international relations. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez cast the result as evidence of a progressive challenge to right-wing politics. Israeli opposition figures said the outcome reflected Netanyahu’s unpopularity in both US parties and could worsen Israel’s relations with Washington; Netanyahu and his right-wing allies had not commented, according to the report.

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