Trump Says Iran War 'Largely' Cost GOP Congress, Blames Failure to 'Transfer the Love' to Candidates

President Donald Trump's first public response to Tuesday's midterm defeat came at a construction site, not a podium. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, he summoned reporters to the White House ballroom project to sign the final steel beam. He talked about the building for nearly 20 minutes before anyone asked about the election.

He had no public events on his schedule beforehand.

Trump's answer: he wasn't on the ballot

When reporters did ask, Trump argued the result would have gone the other way with him on the ticket. "If I were on the ballot, we would have won," he said, pointing to crowds of "thousands and thousands of people at every rally."

"You couldn't transfer that love," he said. "We weren't able to transfer the love to candidates."

On election night he told Fox News: "I don't like to consider it a defeat for me. I wasn't on the ballot." Voters, he said, "didn't like the candidates."

The AP Voter Poll points elsewhere. About two-thirds of voters said Trump does not have the right priorities, and the overwhelming majority of them backed Democratic House candidates. Only 4 in 10 approved of how he is handling the presidency. Roughly one-third said his priorities are right.

The Iran war and gas prices

Trump was asked about Vance's social media post blaming the Iran war for the GOP's losses. He did not push back.

"I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short term," Trump said.

He added that he would make the same decision again. "You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," he said, arguing that the long-term payoff justifies the cost. He also said he had expected oil prices to rise "a lot more" when he launched the war.

Asked whether he regretted the timing of his Monday speech at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, Trump said he heard it got "great reviews" and that it had "nothing to do with anything else."

Working with a Democratic Congress

Trump struck a mixed tone on the new majorities. "I'll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive, but I have the power of the veto," he said. He added that Democrats had "already called and they want to talk about things, and that's fine."

On election night he pledged to accept the results. Earlier coverage noted he has also said he would block Democratic legislation.

He dismissed questions about whether he is considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump said Hegseth has done a "very good job."

On the race to succeed Speaker Mike Johnson, who has decided not to run again, Trump said, "We'll stay out of it." He said he did not ask Johnson to step down.

The ballroom

The ballroom is the project Trump chose to spotlight the day after the loss. He signed the beam in black marker, wrote "Love!" above his name, and said he would be "the last to sign." Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed after him and called Trump "our builder-in-chief."

Trump said he finds the work "relaxing" because he "loves construction." He called the building "the most beautiful ballroom I think anywhere in the world."

He also repeated his argument that the roof could serve as a drone landing site. "You can land anything on top of that roof," he said. "But it will be all drones." The Secret Service already runs a drone port on a nearby White House rooftop for security surveillance.

The project is estimated at $400 million, and the administration has said construction will continue into 2028. The Supreme Court allowed work to proceed after an Aug. 31 ruling but said it had not decided whether the project is lawful. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented and wrote that the construction was "likely unlawful."

What comes next

Trump's veto is his main tool against the incoming majorities. NBC News reports Democrats plan to use the House to investigate Trump and to take up affordability. The Republican fight over who replaces Johnson is still open, and Trump has said he will stay out of it. The ballroom, which Trump hinted will have an "official opening" in the near future, is still more than a year from completion under the administration's own 2028 timeline.