sweeping loss

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday pulled Vice President JD Vance away from negotiations with Iran, suggesting that the United States no longer needs to pursue a deal to end the Middle East conflict and instead directing Vance to turn his attention to corruption in states run by Democrats.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got the Strait!”

In the same post, Trump said he asked Vance, who has played a central role in talks with Tehran, to “focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States.” He singled out California, Minnesota and Illinois, calling them “poorly run, corrupt disasters.”

The reassignment came as Vance and other Republicans have blamed the Iran war for the party’s sweeping losses in last week’s midterm elections. The morning after the election, Vance wrote in a lengthy social media post that “the reason we lost is the war.”

“If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was worthwhile cost to pay,” Vance wrote. “Agree or disagree, that’s at least honest. But everyone knows why we lost.”

Trump insisted the post had not damaged their relationship, telling reporters last week that “a lot of people didn’t like his comments,” but that he didn’t mind them.

A White House official on Thursday said the United States remains in a “very strong position” in negotiations with Iran, citing a naval blockade and control of the Strait of Hormuz — even though there is evidence that struggles continue over the key oil route.

“President Trump holds all the cards, will do what is best for the United States, and will make sure that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,” the official said.

Trump’s decision to pull away Vance from the talks was among a flurry of social media posts he fired off early Thursday morning that conveyed the president has little appetite for changing course nine days after voters rebuked his policies, in large part due to economic struggles triggered by the war.

President Trump speaks during an event Wednesday to mark Veterans Day at Arlington National Cemetery.

(Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press)

In a series of posts that began around 6 a.m., Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Mexico, called for the prosecution of Democratic lawmakers he has previously threatened, declared that Democrats were “CORRUPT AND EVIL” and claimed without evidence that they had won the midterms by cheating.

Trump also claimed an “invasion” of migrants was coming from Mexico in “huge CARAVANS,” returning to language he used to rally his base shortly after taking office. And at one point, he even cast doubt over this year’s election results, calling it a “perceived loss by the Republicans in the Midterms.”

It was yet another sign that Trump wanted to double down on the very issues that exit polls showed voters rejected on election day. His posts were a departure from a more reflective tone Trump had struck in the hours after the midterms, when he congratulated Democrats for their victories and conceded that his immigration policies and the war had played a role in his party’s losses.

“Congratulations to the Democrats. They did a good job. They’ve been looking for this one for 11 years and they finally got it,” the president told Fox News on the night of the election.

But, he added: “I don’t view it as a hit on me. I think we’ve had the greatest two years in the history of the president in terms of the economy, in terms of all the things that we’ve done.”

Democrats won at least 55 seats in the Senate and are projected to have control of at least 255 seats in the House, flipping seats in Republican strongholds like Kansas and Mississippi — a stunning sweep that Republicans have warned could take years to recover from.

In the days since the election, Trump has taken an aggressive approach to fighting the new Democratic majorities.

The White House’s top lawyers on Wednesday warned of the possibility of criminal inquiries into House Democrats who investigate Trump when they assume power next year.

He also attacked Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is expected to lead Democrats in the Senate, for saying he wants to address corruption in the United States. Schumer has said this in reference to dealings within the Trump administration.

“I assume he is referring to Democrat run Blue States such as California, Minnesota, Illinois, Maine and New York,” Trump wrote. “Hopefully his words will ring true! It will be an honor to work with him on this very big Democrat problem that, when solved, will literally balance the Budget of the U.S.”