Donald Trump has admitted that the Iran war was a factor in the Republicans’ midterm election defeat – but insisted that the results were the result of poor candidates.
‘People agree with what I’m doing on Iran, but they probably weren’t willing to deal with the short, the early consequence of paying more for gasoline,’ Trump said on a phone call to Fox News. ‘You know, I understand that. I don’t agree with it. Too bad.’
The president insisted his absence from the ballot explained the losses, despite repeatedly urging supporters to imagine he was running, including on Fox the night before the election.
‘I wasn’t on the ballot, and if I was, we would have won in a landslide,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump sounded off after a series of brutal results showed the Democrats were projected to take the House and the Senate, including in seats where the president had held rallies in an attempt to rescue the results.
A White House official described the mood as ‘defiant’ and echoed Trump’s statement, arguing the result was not a referendum on his administration.
‘Candidate quality matters, and President Trump did a better job promoting many of the candidates on the ballot than the candidates did themselves,’ the official said.
‘Also, anyone who voted Democrat today is going to have a serious case of buyers’ remorse when gas prices come down quickly when the Iran conflict is solved but they’re still stuck with list of liberal extremist Democrats.
‘And a final note here: regardless of how today plays out, President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger. Buckle up.’
Donald Trump reacts as he takes the stage during a campaign rally at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell, Montana, US, October 14
The mood at the White House midterms watch party quickly turned sour as Republicans stacked up losses.
A White House official told the Daily Mail that staff grew ‘defiant’ as the event continued, warning the president was more resolved than ever to combat the threats posed to the Trump administration by a Democratic majority in Congress.
That includes an anticipated third impeachment and aggressive investigations into Trump and his family members.
‘President Trump’s resolve to stop the Radical Left is only going to become stronger,’ the official noted. ‘Buckle up.’
The president did not address the press on Tuesday as the election results came in.
A second White House official said the party was ‘still going strong’ even though some cabinet officials and staffers left the event early.
Trump officials watching the event breathed a sigh of relief when top Republican candidates won narrow victories in Florida, offering some early hope in the evening.
But major losses for Republican candidates in Texas had the reverse effect.
Incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who ran for Senate, went down in blistering defeats.
Trump took to Truth Social to rage against Abbott, whom he blamed for flipping to a ‘RINO’ – Republican in name only.
‘If Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, hadn’t become a RINO in the last six months of his Political Life, he wouldn’t have lost,’ seethed Trump.
‘He went back to his original formula, and it wasn’t pretty!’
Trump takes off his hat after hosting an event at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
White House officials blamed Republican candidates for heavy Republican losses, despite President Trump’s best efforts to bring out his supporters to the polls
The president endorsed Republican candidates in important races, including in South Carolina where the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline lost a bid for his Senate seat.
Democrat Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Graham, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in South Caroline since 1998.
Her defeat came despite Trump making three recent visits to the state to bolster her campaign. Andrews was ahead even in traditional Republican strongholds, including Greenville County.
In neighboring North Carolina, former Democratic governor Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman, to capture the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis.
It was the first Democratic Senate victory in the state since 2008, delivering a second Republican-held seat to the opposition.
Republicans also failed to dislodge Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, who defeated Trump-backed Congressman Mike Collins to secure a second term.
Ossoff was the only incumbent Democratic senator defending a seat in a state Trump carried in 2024, making his victory a significant missed opportunity for Republicans.
GOP candidate Michael Whatley also lost his bid for the Senate in North Carolina.
Outside the White House was quiet as officials monitored election returns behind closed doors
The White House was critical of Republican candidates who failed to drive out President Trump’s base
The president spent much of Tuesday urging voters to support Republican candidates but failed to drive out the vote.
Another Trump advisor told the Daily Mail that Republicans failed to attract the same coalition that he rallied to victory in 2024.
‘Republicans have had ten years to figure out how to draw those low propensity Trump voters to the polls, if they can’t get it done, they deserved to lose.’
Trump spent the last 32 days holding 30 events in 20 states for Republican candidates. His MAGA Inc. PAC spent over $370 million for Republicans.
One Trump insider said the results were disappointing but that the president had always expressed doubt that Republican majorities could survive the midterms.
The White House legal team has been preparing for a slew of investigations launched by newly empowered Democrats in the next Congressional term.
‘I fully expect the president to dig in, and fight fight fight,’ the insider said. ‘He’s been through this before.’
