Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth responded to Vice President JD Vance‘s comments about Republicans’ loss in the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans suffered a major loss to Democrats in the recent elections, allowing Democrats to take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Pete Hegseth says ‘politics isn’t my thing’ amid midterm loss
Pete Hegseth recently held a press conference at the Pentagon and addressed JD Vance’s comments about Republicans losing the 2026 midterms. After Republicans lost to the Democrats in the midterms, Vice President Vance blamed the ongoing war between Iran and the United States for the defeat.
In a lengthy post on X, Vance wrote, “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
During the press conference, a reporter asked Hegseth if he agreed with Vance that the Iran war was to blame for the defeat in the midterms. In his reply, the Secretary of War said he admired Vance but would not involve himself in blaming the loss. He further added, “Thankfully. politics is not really my thing. I do Department of War and making sure we’re prepared and ready.”
Hegseth also said many people will look back on the war and offer their input. However, he said that, going forward, Republicans will work harder and learn from their mistakes. He also agreed with Donald Trump, who suggested that he would go to war with Iran if he got the chance to do it again.
