Trump acknowledges Iran war hurt Republicans in midterms

US President Donald Trump acknowledged that the Iran war played a role in the Republican losses during the midterms, though he maintained the decision was necessary. The admission came a day after Democrats secured control of both the House and Senate.

Trump told reporters in Washington that the war 'drove the gasoline up a little bit for a short term,' but he insisted the action was required to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He warned that without such measures, 'everything that you see here, someday might not exist.'

Democrats captured the House with at least 228 seats and are on track for a significant majority. In the Senate, they flipped seven Republican-held seats, including in Texas, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and South Carolina, bringing their total to at least 54 seats.

This marks the first time in two decades that a Republican president has lost both chambers of Congress. The last such occurrence was under George W. Bush in 2006. The midterms were also the most expensive on record, with early exit polls showing Trump's approval rating at 38 percent.

Several of the Democratic victories came in states where Trump won comfortably in 2024. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated state Attorney General Ken Paxton, becoming the first Democratic senator since 1988. Similar upsets occurred in Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Democrats also retained key states like Georgia and New Hampshire, where they secured re-elections for Jon Ossoff and Chris Pappas, respectively. The party now holds 28 of the 50 governorships, with two races still pending.