Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and former Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump has said the ongoing US-Iran conflict could hurt Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections.
Lara Trump was asked by British journalist Harry Cole about the political consequences of the prolonged conflict with Iran and if it could affect President Donald Trump’s political standing ahead of the midterms.
Lara Trump said, “It could cost him these midterms,” speaking of the possible impact of the Iran war on Trump and Republicans. But she said Trump’s political legacy would ultimately be determined over time and said the president had been in an extremely difficult position with the conflict.
The remarks come as the Iran conflict continues to be a major issue ahead of the US midterm elections. The war has also been linked to concerns over higher energy costs, with rising gasoline prices emerging as an important political issue for voters.
Lara Trump said she believed Iran was holding out on an agreement until after the midterm elections, so Iran might see the election timetable as a part of the negotiations. She also defended the Trump administration’s approach to the conflict and stressed the need to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Lara Trump later addressed the likelihood of Republicans losing control of Congress because of the war. Losing both the House of Representatives and Senate could be a political cost if the conflict ultimately prevented Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, she said.
Her comments show the difficult political calculus for the Republican Party as the 2026 midterms approach. Foreign policy decisions, military conflicts and the economic impact of war can become key issues in election campaigns, and those decisions can affect fuel prices and household expenses.
The comments come after Lara Trump had interviewed Donald Trump in May about Iran. She said in that interview that having a conflict close to the midterm elections was politically difficult. But Trump said he wouldn’t allow the election calendar to dictate decisions about Iran and its nuclear program.
Lara Trump’s comments put the potential electoral consequences of the Iran conflict in the middle of the 2026 midterms. She conceded that the war could hurt Republicans politically, but she said that Iran’s nuclear capacity might be more important than control of Congress.
The 2026 midterm elections are scheduled for November and control of both chambers of Congress is at stake. Lara Trump’s comments add another layer to the political question of the impact that the ongoing Iran conflict may have on voters and the Republican Party’s electoral prospects.
