J.D. Vance has turned Donald Trump’s Middle East strategy into a liability inside his own political coalition. In a post on X explaining the Republican midterm defeat last week, the vice president identified the Iran war as the principal reason Republicans lost the votes of former Trump supporters. He then listed four conditions for winning them back: end the war with Iran, address inflation, put America first, and “change our relationship to Israel.” Donald Trump Jr. promptly endorsed the analysis: “Every word of this is 💯💯💯.”
Will the president take his deputy’s advice? The stakes are high. The outcome of the Iran war will shape the balance of power in the Middle East, the future direction of Republican foreign policy, and the geopolitical legacy Trump leaves behind.