Vance says Israel policy cost Republicans votes in midterms

U.S. Vice President JD Vance attributed the Republicans’ midterm defeat to ties with Israel, the war with Iran and abandoning the “America First” approach. Vance wrote that many voters who backed Trump in 2024 chose Democrats this time.

The Turkiye Times Editorial DeskNovember 05, 2026, 12:34 AMUpdated: November 05, 2026, 12:50 AM

Vance says Israel policy cost Republicans votes in midterms

U.S. Vice President JD Vance assessed the reasons behind the Republican Party’s heavy defeat in the congressional midterm elections in a lengthy post on his social media account. Vance wrote that changing ties with Israel, ending the war with Iran and returning to an “America First” approach were among the main demands for bringing back voters who had drifted away from the party.

Vance said the real reason they lost the election was “obvious to almost everyone” and relayed that a pollster he spoke with had asked voters who had moved away from the Republicans, “What would bring you back?” According to Vance, nearly all the responses fell into four categories: ending the war, focusing on the cost of living and inflation, adopting an “America First” approach, and changing ties with Israel.

The four points listed in JD Vance’s post

Ties with Israel appear on the agenda more openly than ever

Vance did not elaborate on what kind of change voters want in ties with Israel. The fact that the vice president explicitly listed this issue among the reasons for the defeat received broad coverage in the U.S. and Israeli media. Vance had previously described his foreign policy approach as “realist” and made statements expressing skepticism toward U.S.-Israel ties. The statement came shortly after Trump said the U.S. would halt its approximately $4 billion in annual aid to Israel at the end of the year.

“The reason we lost is the war”

Vance used his clearest language on the war with Iran: “The reason we lost is the war. The president said this himself last night.” Addressing those who argued that the war was worth the cost, Vance said, “If you want to argue that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, go ahead. At least you’ll be honest.” Trump, however, told The Wall Street Journal that “Iran was part of it” and said, “I did the right thing, and I would do it again.”

Vance with Cabinet members in the Situation Room at the White House (February 2026, archive)

“Our voters went to the polls but did not vote for us”

According to Vance, turnout was not the problem. Saying that Florida’s electorate was nearly as favorable to Republicans as it had been in 2024, Vance wrote, “The real problem is that many people who voted for Trump/Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.” Vance warned that a general amnesty for undocumented immigrants would be presented as a solution in the coming months and said, “Anyone who brings up amnesty is lying to you.”

Democrats took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections; this was the fourth election since World War II in which one party won both chambers in a midterm election. Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, was among those who reshared the post with the note, “Every word is 100 percent true.” Vance, who is considered a potential candidate in the 2028 presidential race, told angry voters, “You were right; you warned us.”

Photos: White House / Wikimedia Commons (archive). Screenshot: X / @JDVance

Vance says Israel policy cost Republicans votes in midterms