Many of President Trump's longtime loyalists are blaming the Iran war for the Republican Party's significant losses in the midterm elections, asserting that the economic fallout from the conflict directly contributed to the GOP's failure to retain control of the House and likely the Senate.
"This war was a disaster. People need to be clear-eyed about it," a Republican strategist involved in the midterm campaigns told The Post. "Every piece of data we have says it was the war and gas prices."
Another top Republican strategist stated, "We got destroyed because of Iran. Iran is what caused gas prices and diesel prices to skyrocket—not tariffs. If Republicans want to rebuild, the first step is ending the war in Iran and embracing an actual America First foreign policy."
Sources close to Trump expressed frustration with the outcome, with one saying, "It took some time, almost two years, but we finally have an answer to the question of what happens when you take military and political advice from a mouth breathing buffoon like Mark Levin."
A Trump political adviser lamented the decision-making process, adding, "Too many people sat silently, or even worse, misled the President into a war without a realistic exit. They convinced him that engagement could be accessed through a revolving door that would allow for an easy exit at the president’s choosing. Instead, the president was left walking through a trapped door, and the same advisors are busy covering their own asses, versus coming to terms with their mistake."
Former Trump official John Ullyot, author of the book "The President Deserves Better," commented on the administration's approach, noting that "in his first term, heads on his team would have rolled months ago." He added, "Voters elected Trump to drain the swamp and lower their costs, not to watch his former aides cash in and hear non-stop about ballrooms and arches—not to mention an endless war in Iran."