Iran war played a role in Republicans’ losses in midterm elections, admits Trump

President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war in Iran played a role in Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as Democrats prepare to take control of both the US House and Senate and challenge his legislative agenda.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said Democrats would send legislation to his desk that he considered “insane” and he would veto it. “They’re going to send some crazy stuff and I’m going to veto them,” he said. “After months of vetoes, they’ll call and say, ‘How do we get this done?’ We will work together.”

Trump said the Iran war has put pressure on Republican candidates, even as voters support his handling of the war. “I think part of it is Iran, but also people understand the importance of what I’m doing with Iran,” he said.

Protesters gather outside the White House to cheer the results of the midterm elections on November 4, 2026 in Washington, USA. – Reuters
Protesters gather outside the White House to cheer midterm election results in Washington, DC, the United States, on November 4, 2026. — Reuters
His remarks came as Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, sweeping victories that cut into Republican strongholds as tens of thousands of voters lashed out at Trump. The size and breadth of the Democratic wave remains a focus, but the party has been winning in states long considered out of reach, including conservative strongholds like South Carolina, Texas and Iowa.

The Democratic surge reflects voters’ deep disillusionment with Trump’s economy and his February decision to go to war with Iran, which has sent natural gas prices soaring. In poll after poll, voters express dismay at the cost of living and anger at Trump’s handling of the issue.

In Kansas, megachurch pastor Adam Hamilton became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat since the Great Depression nearly a century ago.

In Ohio, Democrat Sherrod Brown claimed a seat that belonged to Vice President JD Vance two years ago, while Texas Democratic state Representative James Talarico withstood a barrage of outside spending to defeat scandal-plagued Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. Both Ohio and Texas voted for Trump by a double-digit margin in 2024. In South Carolina, which Trump won by nearly 18 percentage points in 2024, pediatrician Annie Andrews defeated Republican Sen. Darlene Graham, who was appointed to the state after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Despite their clearly defined responsibilities, Trump promoted Paxton and Graham as better candidates. Paxton has been at the center of many controversies, including his 2023 impeachment and securities fraud charges, while Graham’s admitted lack of experience has drawn negative headlines.

Trump campaigned heavily for Paxton, Graham and Ohio Rep. John Husted in a late-election rally that included more than two dozen rallies, with the president repeatedly urging supporters to “pretend I’m on the ballot” in an effort to fire up his base. On Tuesday night, as it became clear that Republicans were in danger of losing their majority in Congress, Trump wrote on social media: “I was not at the polls, if I had been we would have won by a landslide! Thanks for the attention.”

Democrats picked up six GOP Senate seats and won a majority, though they failed to hold on to the hotly contested states of Michigan and Minnesota.

Democrats are also poised to take control of the US House of Representatives after picking up at least eight Republican seats in states including Kentucky, New Jersey and North Carolina, flexing their muscles even in deeply conservative districts. The party’s dominance extends to other ethnic groups as well. Three-term Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lost to Democrat Gina Hinojos, who also won governorships in conservative Iowa and Ohio. Winner says it’s a condemnation of Trump
“In a broad and decisive victory, the American people condemned the depravity, corruption and incompetence of President Donald Trump,” Georgia’s eventual winner, Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, told supporters at a victory party. In Florida, Republican Sen. Ashley Moody defeated Democrat Angie Nixon, but only by about 3 points in a state where Trump leads by 13 points in 2024, according to data compiled by Reuters and USA Today, showing that even staunchly Republican states are shifting rapidly to Democrats.

Democrats held on to three Florida House districts that were redrawn by Republican lawmakers earlier this year, all of which gave Trump support of at least 9 percentage points. Half of voters nationwide said they saw the 2026 midterm elections as an opportunity to reprimand the president, and three-quarters said they were “angry” or “disappointed” with the way the country is headed, according to polls conducted by SSRS on behalf of a consortium of U.S. media outlets including major television networks and the Associated Press.

Additionally, 70% of voters said they want Congress to give the president more checks and balances.