Trump says he would back Iran war again as Vance blames it for GOP losses

Vance's post and Trump's rebuttal

Democrats took control of Congress in the 3 November midterm elections, handing Republicans a heavy defeat. In a social media post made after the vote, Vice President JD Vance blamed the unpopular war against Iran for much of the Republican losses. Voters have also pointed to higher gasoline and energy prices, which trace back in part to disruptions to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried one-fifth of the world's oil before the war. Trump agreed with much of his vice president's analysis but took issue with one omission. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, 8 November, as he returned to Washington, he said Vance should also have asked whether the country would go to war again.

“He was right, other than one thing.”

Trump said the comments had not changed the two men's relationship, though he acknowledged that many people had not liked them. He then answered his own question directly, saying he would make the same decision again.

Rubio defends the war

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking in Florida on Sunday before heading to a Group of 7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris, declined to comment directly on the Republican defeat. He said Trump had identified a very real threat in Iran and had acted to stop the country from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Rubio argued that confronting hard security challenges is sometimes unpopular but necessary, and that the more than eight-month-old war was worth fighting. Asked about efforts to end the conflict, he struck a skeptical note.

“I wouldn't say we're at the verge of a breakthrough.”

Rubio went further, describing Iran's negotiating demands as not just unacceptable but, in some cases, outrageous, ridiculous and unrealistic.

Iran's response and the Hormuz offer

Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the White House should now make its own decision about the war. He wrote on X that American voters had made their choice, and insisted that Tehran's two-day proposal still stood. That proposal requires an end to the war on all fronts, and he warned that choosing war would bring a fierce Iranian military response.

“American voters have made their choice.”

Iran has offered to let commercial vessels use the Strait of Hormuz again within two days of Washington meeting its demands. Tehran is reviewing proposals from Qatar aimed at addressing differences with Washington, according to the Associated Press. Trump is scheduled to meet Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, at the White House on Monday, 9 November, according to his official schedule. In a CNN phone interview on Sunday, Trump said it was highly unlikely the United States would need to resume strikes, provided talks show progress and produce a strong agreement.

Trump on 2028 and the Republican bench

In a 60 Minutes interview on CBS that aired Sunday night, Trump was asked about potential 2028 candidates other than Vance and said he did not know whether Vance would make the same call again. He named Rubio, saying "I think Marco's great," but pointed to a "tremendous bench" in the Republican Party and said he might be better off not getting involved. Both Vance and Rubio are considered possible 2028 contenders. Rubio's remarks on the war put him at odds with Vance's account of the midterm losses.