President Donald Trump has acknowledged that the US-Israeli war on Iran played a role in his Republican Party's heavy defeat in the midterm elections. Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday, he said that « a part of it was Iran », while also praising the Democrats for the campaign they ran.
The results gave Democrats control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, a sweeping reversal for the Republicans in a vote that will shape the second half of the President's term. Trump's remarks on the conflict were among the first direct comments from him linking the war to the outcome, which he did not present as the sole cause of the defeat.
In the interview, Trump also congratulated the Democrats on their campaign, a gesture that stood out given the bitterness that has often characterised American midterm contests. France 24's correspondent Wassim Cornet has more on the President's comments and the reaction to the result.
The admission comes as the new balance of power in Washington takes shape, with Democrats now positioned to set the legislative agenda in the House and to exercise greater influence over confirmations and oversight in the Senate. Analysts are expected to examine how far foreign policy, including the Iran conflict, weighed on voters compared with domestic concerns.
2
