US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the war with Iran contributed to Republican losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“Iran was a piece of it,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal in a phone interview on Tuesday night. He said he did not regret launching the war earlier this year.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, Trump said he believed voters supported his approach to Iran but had been reluctant to bear the cost at the pump.
"People agree with what I'm doing on Iran, but they really probably weren't willing to do the short-term consequence of paying ... more for gasoline," Trump said, describing higher fuel prices as "a short-term problem, but for long-term gain."
Trump warned that US forces could "finish the job" if Tehran failed to cooperate, though he said a diplomatic agreement was still possible if it set binding limits on nuclear weapons.
He also defended his decision to cut US aid to Israel, saying the country has "become quite rich" and no longer needs $4 billion a year in assistance.
Trump told the WSJ he had no plans to make personnel changes in his administration and voiced support for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has led the US war effort.
Working with Democrats
The Democratic victories give the party the votes to block Trump’s legislation in either chamber during the final two years of his term.
“I am absolutely willing to accept those results,” Trump told The New York Times late Tuesday as he watched election returns at the White House.
“We’ll work with the Democrats, and we’ll, you know, look forward to working with them. We’ll probably work something out,” he added.
Trump praised Democratic candidates for fighting "hard" and told Fox News he could work with the party "on a lot of things," including immigration.
He also said he expected Democrats to send him legislation he considered "insane" and that he would veto it.
In a separate interview with Politico, Trump said he would prefer to work with lawmakers rather than spend the next two years vetoing bills.
