Trump links Republican midterm defeat to war, fuel prices and views on Israel

US President Donald Trump has said that negative feeling towards Israel among American voters was one of the reasons his Republican Party fared badly in last week's midterm elections. The Times of Israel reported that Trump made the remarks when asked on the American television programme 60 Minutes to reflect on the results, which saw Democrats take control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Trump offered several explanations. According to The Times of Israel, he first said that he himself had not been a candidate, and that voters had not liked some Republican candidates, among them people he had endorsed. He then pointed to the war and to rising petrol prices, before adding what the paper rendered as "a great dislike" for Israel, which he called incredible. He did not expand on the point. The Jerusalem Post described dislike of Israel as a key factor in Trump's account, cited alongside the war with Iran.

What Trump said, and how it was reported

The core of Trump's answer was the same across the three outlets: voters objected to the war, objected to higher fuel costs, and held unfavourable views of Israel. The Times of Israel quoted him as saying, "They didn't like the war," and noted that his administration has a close relationship with Israel.

There is a difference of tone in the Hebrew coverage. N12, a major Israeli television news outlet, carried the clip in Hebrew translation, rendering the Israel remark as a lack of affection for Israel rather than a great dislike. N12 credited the footage to yes, an Israeli television provider that carries the programme. Readers comparing Hebrew and English coverage may therefore notice that the Israeli broadcast version sounds milder than the English quotation reported by The Times of Israel.

None of the reports quotes Trump explaining what he meant by the remark about Israel, or whether he sees it as something his party should respond to.

The midterms and why they matter

Midterm elections in the United States are held halfway through a president's term and decide the make-up of Congress, the national legislature. Losing both chambers, as The Times of Israel reported the Republicans did, means the president's party no longer controls the agenda in either the House or the Senate. That affects which legislation advances and how much scrutiny the administration faces.

For Israel, the composition of Congress matters because American military aid, arms sales and diplomatic backing pass through it or are shaped by it. Support for Israel has historically been described as bipartisan in Washington, so a sitting president saying aloud that views of Israel cost his party votes is a notable statement for Israeli and diaspora audiences.

The war with Iran and fuel prices

Trump referred simply to "the war" in the remarks quoted by The Times of Israel. The Jerusalem Post identified it as the war with Iran. Trump grouped public opposition to that conflict with the rise in petrol prices, presenting both as concerns voters carried to the polls. The reports do not give figures on how far fuel prices rose or on polling about the war.

Vance's earlier comment

The remarks follow a suggestion from Vice President JD Vance. According to The Times of Israel, Vance said last week that Republicans would need to change their relationship with Israel if they wanted to win future elections. Trump's interview places the president alongside his deputy in linking Israel to the party's electoral fortunes, though neither man, in the material reported, set out what any change would involve.

What the reports do not say

The reports do not say whether Trump intends to alter his administration's policy towards Israel, and The Times of Israel's account of his answer to a question on that point is cut off in the available text. No response from the Israeli government or from Prime Minister's Office officials has been reported. Trump also offered no polling or other evidence for his claim about American attitudes to Israel.