Trump Defends Iran War While Highlighting White House Ballroom
The president acknowledged economic fallout from the conflict as Democrats seized control of both chambers of Congress.
By Ayanda Boateng ·
President Donald Trump shifted attention to the White House ballroom on Wednesday, a day after his party suffered major losses in the midterm elections. He stood inside the unfinished structure to discuss its future rather than focusing exclusively on the electoral results.
Democrats have secured at least seven Senate seats and 28 House seats, according to the ongoing vote count. These numbers indicate a shift in congressional power. The White House response focused on infrastructure and foreign policy justification.
Vice President JD Vance posted on social media that the conflict with Iran was the primary reason for the Republican defeat. He stated, “The reason we lost is the war.” Vance has opposed the Iran conflict from the beginning.
Trump agreed with this assessment during his remarks in the ballroom. He noted that the war drove up gasoline prices in the short term. However, he maintained that the action was necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Well, I think it’s largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term,” Trump said. “And probably that’s probably it’s true. But at the same time, if I had to do again, I’d have to do it again, because long term it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
The president said he will work with congressional Democrats but intends to use veto power to block their legislation. He explained that this strategy will force negotiations with the White House.
