Tension at the top of the American administration broke into the open Wednesday evening, as President Donald Trump took a public swipe at Vice President JD Vance after Vance linked the Iran war to the Republican loss in the midterm elections. Asked whether Vance would run for president in 2028, Trump replied that it wasn't clear who would run at all — and added: "Maybe he won't run."
The remark came in response to a reporter's question about whether Trump had spoken with Vance. Trump confirmed he had, but quickly pivoted to his deputy's political future: "We talk about a lot of things. But we'll see what happens. You can't know who's talking about running. There will be people who run, maybe a lot of people, maybe nobody will run, maybe he won't run. I don't know who will run."
The jab carries particular weight given Vance's standing as one of the leading potential candidates to succeed Trump in the Republican Party. The president's words could be read as a signal that his vice president's criticism of the war has not gone unanswered.
But Trump didn't stop at the political dig. He used the opportunity to make clear once again that he has no regrets about the decision to launch the campaign against Iran, despite its political cost.
Asked about Vance's claim that the war led to the Republican defeat, Trump acknowledged there was truth in it: "I think that's largely true, because it raised gas prices a bit in the short term."
Still, he was quick to clarify that from his perspective, it was a necessary price to pay:
"If I had to do it again, I would have to do it again ... You can't allow Iran to get nuclear weapons."
When asked directly whether the war was worth the cost, he answered in the affirmative and laid out his security rationale: "You have no choice, you have to do it. You can't let Iran get nuclear weapons, otherwise everything you see here, one day maybe it won't exist. And maybe this building will be the only one that survives."
Trump also addressed the new political reality in Congress following the Republican loss, saying he expects to reach understandings with the Democrats as long as they don't choose a destructive path. According to him, Democrats have already reached out to hold talks on various issues.
