Credit : The White House's X
WASHINGTON, November 8, 2026 — President Donald Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes that he would again order strikes on Iran if faced with the same choice, while attributing Republican midterm losses in part to the conflict and to what he called “bad messaging” on the economy.
The White House shared a recap of the interview on its X account, saying the president discussed Iran, the economy, “SI” — a reference to super intelligence — and more in a wide-ranging sit-down after the midterm elections.
According to CBS News, Trump said his answer to whether he would attack Iran again was an “emphatic yes,” arguing that Iran’s conventional military had been degraded and its nuclear programme set back. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon. I think, historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not. But … I have to go with what’s right for our country,” he said.
Asked whether he planned to escalate the war now that the midterms were over, Trump said: “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.” He suggested Iran was close to a deal, though he added that the election result gave Tehran “a little bit of a hope certificate.” Qatar has been mediating between the sides.
On the midterms, Trump did not disagree with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the Iran war was a central reason Republicans lost ground, while adding that gas prices and other factors also weighed on voters. He defended his economic record as “phenomenal” and “historically good,” pointing to jobs figures, record 401(k) balances and factory investment, but conceded that many voters were not feeling those gains.
“I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time. So I don’t know, how much can I talk about it?” he said, according to CBS. Exit polling cited by the network found that most midterm voters viewed the economy as poor or not so good, and that group largely backed Democratic House candidates.
Trump also addressed immigration, telling 60 Minutes that aspects of his deportation policy had been “too tough” at times, reflecting a tension between hardline supporters and voters uneasy about enforcement methods — a theme picked up by The Washington Post and other outlets covering the interview.
The White House, in its own release highlighting the appearance, stressed the president’s claims of strong jobs numbers, secure borders and blows to Iran’s nuclear programme, and framed the interview as a defence of an “America First” record.
Since September, the United States and Iran have largely held off from major attacks, though limited defensive US strikes were reported earlier in the week of the interview. Trump has repeatedly argued that historians will judge the Iran campaign more favourably than today’s voters, comparing his position to that of Ulysses S. Grant, whose reputation rose over time.
Source: https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2119867204976128194
Credit : The White House’s X
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