US Vice President J.D. Vance blamed the war with Iran for the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterm elections. In a roughly 600-word post on the social media platform X, he said that voters who had supported Donald Trump in 2024 had turned their backs on the party.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president said so himself last night,” Vance wrote. He added that anyone who considers the conflict a justified price for losing control of the Senate for six years should say so openly.
According to the submitted report, the Democrats had regained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Donald Trump acknowledged that the war had played a role in the election result, but said he would act in the same way if he had to make the same decision again.
Four priorities for Republicans
Vance did not mention Trump by name, but proposed a political program that could become the foundation of his future presidential campaign. It includes four points: ending the war, focusing on the cost of living and inflation, an “America First” policy, and changing US relations with Israel.
Daniel Byman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies described the message as a way for Vance to distance himself from the president. In his view, such a distance would require a careful balance if the vice president decided to run for president.
Vance’s candidacy for the 2028 election has not yet been officially announced. His aides say he is continuing to consider his options. According to The New York Times, the vice president showed the text to Trump before publishing it.
Trump has not said whom he would support as the Republican candidate in 2028. Among those the president has praised are Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At the same time, Trump has mentioned the possibility of remaining in power for a third term, but the US Constitution does not allow a president to be elected more than twice.
Sources: news.bg