Trump blames ‘great dislike’ for Israel, Iran war and gas prices for Republican midterm rout
Washington (CNN) — President Donald Trump on Sunday pointed to American voters’ “great dislike” for Israel, opposition to the war with Iran and rising gasoline prices as key reasons Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in last week’s midterm elections.
In a wide-ranging interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Trump offered his most detailed public assessment yet of the Democratic wave that flipped the House and Senate.
“They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up,” Trump said. “And there’s a great dislike — incredibly — for Israel.”
The president listed those factors alongside his own absence from the ballot and voter dissatisfaction with some Republican candidates he had endorsed. He insisted his personal popularity remained strong, citing large crowds at campaign rallies, but said those supporters did not fully transfer their votes to other candidates.
Trump defended the military action against Iran, saying preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon remained essential. “I think everyone agrees that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” he said, adding that he would make the same decision again.
The comments come as Trump’s administration has maintained a close relationship with Israel. Vice President JD Vance had earlier suggested the party may need to recalibrate its approach to Israel after the losses. Trump said he did not disagree with Vance’s assessment and had encouraged him to “write what you feel.”
Public support for Israel in the United States has declined since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, particularly among younger voters and Democrats, according to multiple polls. The Iran conflict and the subsequent spike in fuel prices appear to have compounded those tensions among some Republican-leaning voters as well.
Trump’s remarks mark a rare public acknowledgment from a president who has long portrayed himself as a steadfast ally of Israel that significant portions of the American electorate view the relationship with skepticism. The president offered no further elaboration on which groups he believes hold the strongest negative views, nor did he cite specific polling data.
The full “60 Minutes” interview is expected to shape the post-election debate inside the Republican Party over foreign policy priorities heading into the next two years of divided government.
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