President Trump admitted Sunday that Vice President J.D. Vance’s scathing midterm comments blaming the war in Iran for Republicans’ major Election Day losses were correct, but he criticized the vice president’s remarks on one specific point.
When asked whether Vance’s midterm public election post-mortem had an impact on Trump’s relationship with his second-in-command, Trump admitted that “a lot of people didn’t like his comments.”
“No, not at all, but a lot of people didn’t like his comments, but I didn’t,” the president told reporters before boarding Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“He was right. Except for one thing. He should have made another statement, which I think is very important. If you had to do it again, would you do it again? The answer is yes,” Trump said.
“Historically, this will be remembered as one of the best things we’ve ever done, because if they (Iran) ever had nuclear weapons, they would blow up the world. You know why? Because they’re crazy,” he added.
Vance denounced the GOP “establishment” in a 618-word article on X Wednesday after Democrats took control of both houses of Congress and the majority of state governors.
“The reason we lost was the war. The President himself said so last night. If you want to argue that it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do it,” he wrote.
“But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here has to start there. I remain hopeful for our country,” Vance said.
“To the people who are upset and want to say: ‘I told you so’: you’re right, you told us.”
A Trump aide previously told the Post that the president had been “advanced” about Vance’s statement and “had no problem with it.”
The White House retweeted Vance and Trump partially agreeing with the assessment, telling reporters, “I thought it was good.”
In a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday, Trump appeared to sympathize with Vance’s remarks, admitting that some voters “didn’t like the war.”
“They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up, because I had it down to the lowest level,” Trump told correspondent Ross Douthat.
“And they didn’t like the war, I think mostly for that reason, because I think everyone agrees that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. And they never will,” Trump said.
“The only thing he left out is… what I would say, and maybe he wouldn’t say it, I don’t know. I never really asked him, but… if you had to do it again, would you do it? And that’s Iran. Would you go… attack Iran and take away from them… because we won that war,” Trump doubled down on Vance’s remarks.
“This war has been won. Now they are withering away as a country, and they will come and they will make a deal.”
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