Vance Identifies Causes of Defeat: War, Inflation, and Israel

Washington (Agencies): The heavy defeat suffered by the Republican Party in the midterm elections triggered a wave of panic among Republican lawmakers and their allies. Some rushed to blame Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for the election results. Although President Donald Trump denied any intention to dismiss the secretary, party leaders privately accused him of playing a key role in persuading Trump to attack Iran without an exit strategy or any plan to manage the political fallout.

Meanwhile, the White House moved to remind Americans that Donald Trump remains their president. For his part, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance considered the war (in Iran) to be the cause of the harsh electoral loss. In a very long post on the X platform, Vance, whose potential candidacy for the White House in 2028 is being discussed, wrote: “War is the reason for our defeat. The President himself said so.” Vance added, “Anyone who wants to argue that it was worth it and that losing the Senate for the next six years was a price worth paying should say so. Let them say it was worth the cost. Whether we agree or not, at least that argument demonstrates honesty.” He continued, “Everyone knows why we lost. Any frank discussion about the path we should take from now on must start here.”

Vance stated that the main problem is that many who voted for Trump and Vance in 2024 gave their votes to the Democrats in 2026. He emphasized that a reliable poll showed that the war on Iran and the economic situation were key factors in voters abandoning the Republicans, along with their desire to see a change in the U.S. relationship with Israel.

For his part, Trump, known for his sharp temperament, chose to act as if nothing had happened. When asked about his vice president’s comments, Trump said in his first remarks to journalists since the election, from the Trump Ballroom at the White House: “I think that’s largely true, because (the war) caused fuel prices to rise slightly in the short term.” The president, whose popularity has plummeted, added, “If I had to make the decision again, I would do the exact same thing.” He affirmed that he does not intend to dismiss Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he described as having done an excellent job.

When asked about the possibility of initiating impeachment proceedings in light of the new landscape in Congress, the 80-year-old billionaire simply said it would destroy the Democratic Party. The White House clarified that Trump would not back down from the Democrats during the remaining two years of his presidency. The presidential account on X posted a message stating, “Trump is still your president,” accompanied by a photo of the president in the Oval Office, where his expression appeared defiant, with furrowed brows and clenched fists.

However, these historic losses are accelerating the search for someone to take responsibility, and it appears the Defense Secretary will be the primary target. The House of Representatives may vote, possibly as early as next week, to impeach the top Pentagon official. Republican members of the House are expected to vote in the coming days on an explicit rejection of the Defense Secretary. Representative Thomas Massie, a Republican lawmaker from Kentucky known for his opposition to Trump, told CNN that he intends to introduce a vote to impeach Hegseth as soon as Congress reconvenes next week. Multiple Republican sources indicated their expectation that this measure will pass.