Trump ‘couldn’t transfer the love’ of his supporters to other Republicans amid historic midterm loss

Donald Trump said he could not transfer his supporters’ enthusiasm to Republican candidates after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections. He argued that Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot, while acknowledging that his rallies’ popularity did not translate into votes for other candidates.

Asked whether the Iran war contributed to the losses, Trump said higher petrol prices probably played a part, but defended the decision as necessary to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. He agreed with Vice-President JD Vance’s post-election comments, which also called for a focus on living costs and changes to US policy towards Israel. Trump said he was open to working with Democrats, but warned he could use his veto.