The president Donald Trump admitted this Wednesday that the war between the United States and Israel against Iran was a decisive factor in the overwhelming Republican defeat in the midterm elections, in which the Democrats regained control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In statements collected by Reuters, Trump acknowledged the significance of the conflict in two separate interviews: “I think part of it was Iran,” he said to Fox News, and “Iran was a piece of it,” he noted to The Wall Street Journal.
Despite the Republican losses on Tuesday and his campaign promise of "no new wars," Trump defended his decision to attack: "I did the right thing. I would do it again," he stated to the financial newspaper.
The conflict, which has been ongoing for nine months, has been unpopular among Americans since its onset in late February 2026.
The economic impact of the war was the central argument of the Democratic candidates during the campaign. Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz in March collapsed maritime traffic on a route that channels between 20% and 25% of the world's oil, leading to a spike in crude prices and increased fuel costs across the country.
The average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. increased from $2.98 per gallon before the war to $4.48 in May, while diesel reached $6.35 per gallon in October.
A survey cited by ABC News found that 71% of Americans considered gasoline unaffordable in October 2026, compared to 28% who thought so in February, before the conflict.
The Democratic candidates turned that dissatisfaction into the core of their campaign, directly linking the rising costs of fuel and other goods to the armed conflict driven by the White House.
The magnitude of the Republican defeat far exceeded the usual dynamics of midterm elections.
The Democrats took control of the Senate with victories in historically Republican states such as Texas, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, and Iowa. In Kansas, the Democrats won a Senate seat for the first time since 1932.
In Texas, Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott and became the first Latina elected as governor of the state, ending more than three decades without a Democratic victory in that gubernatorial race.
In the House of Representatives, NBC News projected around 244 Democratic seats, well above the 218 needed for a majority, marking a night of significant losses for the Republican Party.
From Tehran, the results were met with satisfaction. The president of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted on X: "The Americans said NO TO WAR, and we support this message."
Trump, for his part, distributed responsibility in several directions: besides pointing to Iran, he blamed Fox News for the defeats for giving too much airtime to the Democrats, and he claimed that the Republicans would have swept the elections if he had been on the ballot, despite having urged voters during the campaign to act "as if" he were on it.
The new Congress with a Democratic majority will convene on January 3, 2027, which will significantly limit Trump's legislative capacity in the final stretch of his term.
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