'The reason we lost is the war': JD Vance blames Iran war for Republican midterm defeats, as Trump mulls firing Hegseth

US Vice President JD Vance has pinned the blame for the Republicans' widespread electoral losses on President Donald Trump's failure to end the war in Iran.

Vance posted on X on Wednesday, saying where he said that "The main problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026."

Vance said that according to one pollster, the primary reasons was that Trump's failure to end the war in Iran and the spiraling cost of living. Another major reason was putting "Israel first," with many voters seeing Trump as having helped Israel to the US's detriment.

He said that he expected significant pushback for saying this but stated directly: "The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night." He added that no amount of optimism was going to undo that.

He called on people to channel their anger into getting Republicans back into office.

Shortly after the post, CBS reported that Trump was considering firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following the overwhelming electoral losses, amid claims that Trump was also considering firing several generals involved in the campaign.