"Never Surrender": White House Reacts As Republicans Suffer Midterm Rout

The White House on Wednesday (local time) shared a picture of US President Donald Trump on X carrying the message "NEVER SURRENDER".

The post came following the Republican Party's defeat in the 2026 US midterm elections, as the administration faced political scrutiny over its policies, particularly the ongoing war with Iran.

NEVER SURRENDER. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/2kDyK1h0Ja

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 4, 2026

The post came amid growing political fallout after Democrats made significant gains in the midterm elections, with US networks projecting that the party would reclaim control of both chambers of Congress.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump acknowledged that the war with Iran had contributed to the Republican Party's electoral setback, agreeing with Vice President JD Vance's assessment that the conflict had affected voter support for the party.

Responding to media questions about Vance attributing the defeat to the Iran war, Trump said the assessment was "largely true", while defending the military campaign as necessary to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"Well, I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit short-term, and probably that's uh probably it's true. But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again because long-term, it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

The US President also claimed that his personal popularity had not translated into electoral support for Republican candidates, arguing that the enthusiasm witnessed at his rallies could not be transferred to other party nominees.

"If I were on the ballot, we would have won. You saw the people—they were packed, thousands and thousands of people were there... But you couldn't just transfer that love," he said.

Trump further maintained that rising fuel prices, rather than the war itself, were the primary reason behind voter dissatisfaction, pointing to the resumption of oil flows through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, Vance had identified the Iran war as the primary reason behind the Republican defeat, citing internal polling that indicated concerns among voters over the conflict, inflation, the administration's 'America First' agenda and US relations with Israel. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)