Trump admits Iran war contributed to Republicans' midterm defeat

U.S. President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal that the war with Iran partly contributed to the Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections, but said he would make the same decision again.

U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran played a role in the Republican Party's defeat in the November 3 midterm elections, in which Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress. “Iran was part of it,” Trump said in a telephone interview with The Wall Street Journal when asked about the reasons for the setback.

Trump nevertheless defended the decision to start the war and said he would make the same decision again. The newspaper wrote that, in the president's view, the greatest political damage was caused not by the war itself but by the subsequent rise in oil and gasoline prices.

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In an interview with CBS News, Trump congratulated the Democrats. “My message is: congratulations to the Democrats,” he said, adding that he himself was not on the ballot, “and if I had been, we would have won.” Before the elections, Trump urged his supporters at rallies to vote as if he himself were running.

According to the AP Voter Poll, about two-thirds of voters believe Trump's policies worsened the country's economic situation. In an interview with The New York Times, Trump said he accepted the election results and expected to negotiate with the Democrats.