Donald Trump Says 'Iran War' Played a Part in Republican Defeat and Congratulates Democrats on Midterms Victory

US President Donald Trump congratulated Democrats on Wednesday after their 3 November midterm victories gave them control of both chambers of Congress, acknowledging that the war in Iran may have contributed to Republican losses while rejecting the suggestion that the result was a personal defeat.

The result leaves Trump facing a Democratic-led House and Senate from January 2027, complicating his legislative plans for the final two years of his second term. It followed a campaign in which he urged Republican voters to treat the midterms as a test of his presidency.

Speaking by telephone on Fox News' 'Democracy 26' coverage in the early hours of Wednesday, Trump praised the rival party's efforts. 'I think the Democrats did a good job,' he said, adding that they had fought hard. He said he did not regard the defeat as a judgment on him because he was not a candidate.

Iran Conflict and the Ballot Box

The president conceded that the conflict had affected the result. 'I think a part of it was Iran,' he told Fox News, while defending the importance of his administration's actions.

He drew a distinction between opposition to the war and frustration over its cost. Trump argued that voters agreed with his policy towards Iran but were unwilling to accept higher petrol prices associated with the conflict. That was his assessment of voters' attitudes, rather than a finding established by the election returns.

In a separate interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he believed attacking Iran was justified and would make the same decision again, according to Reuters. The US-Israeli war was in its ninth month at the time of the election. Democratic candidates had repeatedly connected the conflict with rising fuel prices and broader household expenses.

Voting surveys point to economic concerns beyond the conflict. An Associated Press voter poll found that roughly four in ten voters considered the economy the country's most important issue, while approximately three in ten named democracy. Those findings do not establish how much the Iran war alone changed the outcome.

Democrats also made gains in states that had long favoured Republicans. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated incumbent Governor Greg Abbott, while Democrat James Talarico won the state's US Senate race against Republican Ken Paxton. The outcomes formed part of a wider set of Republican losses across the country.

Donald Trump Offers Cooperation but Warns of Vetoes

Trump had repeatedly asked supporters during the campaign to 'pretend I'm on the ballot.' After the election, he argued that being absent from it had hurt Republicans, claiming on Truth Social that his party would have won easily had he stood as a candidate.

He also criticised Abbott, whom he called a 'RINO,' meaning 'Republican in name only.' Abbott conceded the governor's race and said he would help Hinojosa prepare to take office.

The president said he accepted the election results and remained open to working with Democrats on some issues. But he also indicated that legislation passed by the incoming Congress could face presidential vetoes. In a separate interview with CBS News ahead of the polls closing, he emphasised his authority to block bills he opposed.

The new Congress is scheduled to begin on 3 January 2027. Although a president can veto legislation, Congress can override that decision with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The size of the Democratic majorities will therefore influence how far the party can advance its programme without Republican support.

Inside the White House's View of the Defeat

The White House also defended Trump's campaigning. An unnamed official told AFP that the quality of Republican candidates had contributed to the losses, arguing that the president had sometimes done more to promote them than they had done for themselves.

The official predicted petrol prices would fall once the Iran conflict was resolved, a forecast rather than a confirmed outcome. The administration also signalled that Trump intended to continue opposing his political rivals, with the official warning that his resolve against what the White House called the 'Radical Left' would strengthen. The statement ended, 'Buckle up.'