President Trump said Wednesday he doesn’t regret getting involved in the Iran war even though he acknowledged it contributed to the GOP’s devastating defeat in the midterms.
In his first public appearance since the elections, Mr. Trump said even if he knew the war would result in a midterm shellacking for the Republicans, he would still have gone ahead with the strikes.
“If I had to do it again, I’d do it again because, long term, it’s the only answer. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Mr. Trump said at a White House event celebrating his ballroom. “You have no choice,” he said.
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“I would have done nothing different,” he said.
Mr. Trump, whose party lost control of Congress in the midterm election, stood by his decision to attack Iran in February, even as voters delivered a sweeping rejection of his leadership and policies.
He said he agreed with Vice President J.D. Vance’s assessment that voters were angry over the war, but insisted the conflict was worth it.
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“I think it’s largely true,” he said of Mr. Vance’s comments. “It drove gasoline up a little bit short-term. But we had to and will continue to do it.”
Mr. Trump also said he wasn’t worried — “not even a little bit” — about getting impeached by the incoming Democrat-run Congress.
“I think it would destroy the Democratic Party if they did that. Impeachment for no reason. What? For having a successful country? Our country is more successful now than any time in its history,” Mr. Trump said.
If House Democrats decide to do it, Mr. Trump would face a historic third impeachment and likely break his own record for being the most impeached president.
Several Democrats have already called for impeaching Mr. Trump over his handling of the Iran war and allegations he’s sought to enrich himself through the presidency. Rep. Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat, said the president committed numerous impeachable offenses during his second term, including usurping congressional authority to attack Iran.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is poised to become speaker, has said Democrats would follow the evidence and constitutional requirements before deciding whether to pursue another attempt to remove the president.
The president’s unapologetic defense of the war with Iran marks a rare acknowledgment from him that one of his policy decisions was widely unpopular and came with a steep political cost.
The Iran war disrupted global energy markets, drove up gasoline prices and complicated Mr. Trump’s efforts to persuade Americans that his economic policies are improving their lives.
The war also put Mr. Trump at odds with his 2024 campaign promise to avoid new foreign conflicts. That argument helped him appeal to voters weary of prolonged American military engagements overseas.
Democratic candidates seized on the conflict throughout the midterm campaign, accusing the president of prioritizing a costly foreign war while American families struggled with rising prices.
The criticism appeared to resonate with voters. In a Fox News survey conducted between Oct. 19 and Election Day, 74% of respondents identified the Iran war as a crucial or major factor in their congressional voting decisions.
Mr. Trump had repeatedly suggested that the war would end before or shortly after the midterms, while leaving open the possibility of renewed military strikes if diplomatic negotiations fail.
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