Trump’s ability to continue the Iran war now faces a Congress controlled by Democrats, whose leaders are calling for the conflict to end and whose oversight and funding powers could narrow his options from January.
The political damage followed strikes on Iran ordered by Trump in late February. Tehran responded to US-Israel strikes by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy transit, sending oil prices soaring.
Trump was elected in 2024 on a pledge to make life more affordable for Americans. During the nearly nine-month conflict, fuel prices stayed high, while many voters pointed to the cost of living and the war when explaining their choices.
In a Fox News survey conducted between October 19 and Election Day, 74% of respondents said the Iran war was a crucial or major factor in their votes for Congress. Democrats then won control of the Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday’s vote.
On Wednesday, at his White House ballroom construction site, President Donald Trump acknowledged the electoral cost of the war he ordered. He said high fuel prices had hurt Republicans: “It's largely true because it drove gasoline up a little bit.”
Yet Trump said he would make the same decision again. “At the same time, if I had to do it again, I'd do it again,” he said. He told reporters: “The Iran thing we had to do, and we continue to do it.” Trump said the war had been worth it to stop Tehran from “having a nuclear weapon”, adding: “I can tell you that as far as that war is concerned, I would have done nothing different.”
Trump also said that, had he been on the midterm ballot, “we would have won”. He attributed the Republican losses to an inability to transfer “such love at those rallies” to other candidates. He told Fox News that he believed Americans understood the importance of his Iran policy despite higher fuel prices.
The conflict has brought a direct military cost. It has resulted in 11 US combat deaths and 12 deaths classified as non-hostile, while over 850 US troops have been injured, according to Defense Department figures.
Vice President JD Vance made the case more starkly after Trump’s acknowledgement. “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote on X.
Chuck Schumer, the top Senate Democrat, said Wednesday that the Iran war “must end”. Hakeem Jeffries, the prospective Speaker of the House, echoed that demand.
Trump has threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran after the US elections if Tehran does not agree to a settlement on terms acceptable to him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Trump for renewed strikes during a call over the weekend, though Trump did not commit to military action.
Sina Toossi, a senior non-resident fellow at the Center for International Policy, said Trump faced a difficult choice. “Trump is now in a bind: Escalation offers no clear path to victory and risks further wrecking his presidency, while diplomacy offers a potential way out,” Toossi said. He added that the incoming Democratic Congress would have “significant oversight and funding powers come January, further constraining his options”.
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