Behind Closed Doors: Rare Trump Admissions About the Iran War

Al-Taj News – The Washington Post reported, citing informed sources, on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged in closed-door conversations with his advisers that his decisions regarding the war with Iran had contributed to the difficult political situation facing the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.

The newspaper quoted the sources as saying that Trump realized his decisions had contributed to the particularly unfavorable political environment facing his party, making the president more eager to help Republicans mitigate the expected losses.

The sources said that Trump had become more aware in recent weeks of the seriousness of the political situation and was listening closely to the results of opinion polls, which were often discouraging.

The sources explained that this shift prompted Trump to take further steps regarding the midterm elections, such as pledging to support candidates and increasing his donations in competitive races, although it remains unclear how effective Republicans will be in making gains over the next six weeks.

The newspaper quoted several of Trump’s advisers as saying that they had become “more candid” with him, as one of them put it, and that in recent weeks he had been listening to them about the electoral reality facing the Republican Party. However, this did not always affect Trump’s mood.

The newspaper said that Trump, who is facing his lowest approval rating of his second term, had focused most of his attention this year on the war with Iran, which sharply raised oil prices, and on construction projects in Washington to cement his legacy. This comes despite his failure to significantly lower prices, as he had pledged during his 2024 election campaign.

The newspaper quoted one source as saying that “Trump certainly feels that some of his decisions led to dynamics that make him unpopular, and things do not look good for the midterm elections.”

A second source confirmed that Trump had implicitly acknowledged some degree of responsibility for the situation, noting that he had made similar remarks publicly.

For months, Trump has publicly expressed indifference to the political situation, commenting on how the governing party usually loses in midterm elections regardless of other factors, and insisting that voters’ economic frustration would not affect decision-making regarding the war.