Justifies war the day after election rout

Warns impeachment would 'destroy' Democrats

Deflects blame onto party, candidates

Makes unannounced visit to White House construction site

Acts as if Wednesday's defeat was no big deal

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US President Donald Trump makes an unannounced visit to a White House banquet hall construction site and delivers remarks Wednesday (local time), the day after his party's midterm election defeat. [AFP]
US President Donald Trump makes an unannounced visit to a White House banquet hall construction site and delivers remarks Wednesday (local time), the day after his party's midterm election defeat. [AFP]

US President Donald Trump acknowledged Wednesday (local time) that the Iran war contributed to his party's midterm election defeat, but said he is not considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — while warning that Democrats, who now control both chambers of Congress, would bring about their own destruction if they pursued his impeachment.

Making an unannounced appearance at a White House banquet hall construction site the day after the midterms, Trump was asked whether he agreed with Vice President JD Vance's assessment that the Iran war had cost Republicans the election. "I think that's largely true," Trump said. "It pushed gas prices up a little in the short term."

Trump went on to defend the decision to go to war. "But at the same time, if we had to do it again, we'd have to do it again," he said. "Because in the long run, that's the only answer. We can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon." The remarks amounted to an acknowledgment that the war hurt Republicans at the ballot box, even as Trump framed it as an unavoidable necessity.

Asked whether he was considering replacing Hegseth over his handling of the Iran war, Trump pushed back. "No. He's doing a great job," he said. Washington had widely expected Democrats, after winning the election, to target Hegseth first among Trump administration cabinet members and move quickly to launch an investigation into him. Trump had also said Wednesday that there would be no cabinet changes.

Trump also put Democrats on notice over the prospect of impeachment proceedings, now that the party controls both the Senate and the House. "The Democratic Party will be destroyed" if it pursues impeachment, he said, adding that he saw no grounds for such a move against him.

Some Democrats have called for impeachment proceedings over a range of allegations against Trump. Others within the party have urged caution, arguing that an impeachment attempt would rally his base and deepen political gridlock — a concern rooted in the turbulence of his first term.

Trump also continued Thursday the line of argument he had begun Wednesday: that Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot himself, and that the defeat was the fault of the party and its candidates. "There was strong energy at the campaign rallies — it was really something — but we just couldn't transfer that energy to the candidates," he said.

In a Fox News interview Wednesday, Trump said, "I don't want to think of it as my loss," again pointing the finger at Republican candidates. While he stopped short of contesting the results — a scenario Democrats had feared — he denied personal responsibility for the outcome and placed the blame on the party and its nominees.

Trump had no public events scheduled Thursday, but made an unannounced afternoon visit to the White House banquet hall construction site. He walked through the project, described its progress and praised the workers — a routine site inspection that projected an air of normalcy, as if Wednesday's midterm defeat had been of little consequence.

The banquet hall is one of several large-scale renovation projects Trump has pushed since returning to office, and one that critics say he pursued over significant public opposition. The day before the midterms, Trump delivered his final campaign rally speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and spent roughly 20 minutes lavishing praise on the pool's renovation. The display drew criticism for appearing out of touch with voters at a moment when the electoral tide was already turning against him.


kate01@heraldcorp.com