WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said the looming midterms won't affect his commitment to the Iran war ‒ noting that he's not on the ballot.
Trump brushed off any impact the November midterms could have on his Iran strategy, asserting in Sept. 2 remarks he's willing to wait as long as it takes until Iran caves to mounting economic pressure from the United States.
"And I'm not affected by the election," Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office. "No. 1, I'm not running. But my party's running, and I'm going to help my party. But I think my party respects the fact that we're not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."
As Republicans look to maintain control of the House and
Senate, high gas prices fueled by the war in Iran pose a major challenge politically. Only 36% of Americans support the war in Iran, according to Reuters/Ipsos poll this week.
Trump is set to host Republicans for a party midterm convention next week in Dallas to help energize Republican voters before the midterms. Yet Trump has also sought to distance himself from Republicans in Congress as polling suggests a potential blue wave for Democrats in November.
Trump told Punchbowl News in an interview in August that the Republican base is angry at the party's leadership in Congress, not him. "At lot of them are very angry at Republicans, to be honest with you," Trump said. "They're angry at Republicans, but they're not angry at me." He expressed concerns about Republican performance in the midterms without him on the ballot.
Trump has made previous remarks downplaying the influence the midterms could have on his decision-making in the war with Iran.
Trump said in May that Iranian leaders wrongly assumed he would retreat from his demands because of political calculations as the 2026 midterm elections drew closer. "I don't care about the midterms," Trump said at a Cabinet meeting on May 27.
Democrats have built a polling lead over Republicans in the generic ballot before the midterm election. Democratic candidates also lead in several key Senate races, including Maine, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan, according to the Real Clear Politics averages of polls of those contests.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says midterms won't impact Iran war efforts: 'I'm not running'
