Vance on war and midterms
The gist
US Vice President JD Vance blamed the Iran war for Republicans losing both chambers of Congress.
His break with Trump over the war puts his expected 2028 ambitions in play.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Democrats reclaimed control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections, defeating Republicans.
- Nov 3, 2026Trump told The New York Times he had no regrets about the war, though he acknowledged voters 'weren't happy with the oil price'; to Fox News he said the Iran war was partly to blame and claimed Republicans 'would have won easily if I was on the ballot'.
- Nov 4, 2026Vance posted a 620-word statement on X blaming the Iran war for the defeat, his first public comments since the election.