Marc Thiessen faults Vance for not saying the war was the right thing to do
Marc ThiessenWashington Post columnist and Fox News contributor, on Fox News's Special Report
Marc Thiessen on Fox News's Special Report, November 4, 2026, calls Vice President JD Vance's post blaming the Iran war for the midterm losses disloyal to President Trump.
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Video: Fox News (Special Report), via Acyn on X. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
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On Fox News's Special Report, Thiessen calls Vance's post disloyal and says Vance did not say the war was the right thing to do or praise Trump for making a hard political decision and putting the country ahead of his own political interests.
Responding to
Vance says the reason Republicans lost the November 3, 2026 midterms is the war with Iran, and that many people who voted for Trump and Vance in 2024 voted for Democrats in 2026.
“I didn't see Vice President Vance say it was the right thing to do. I didn't see him say Donald Trump is one of the most courageous presidents in my lifetime because he took this very difficult political decision and put the country ahead of his own political interests.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Vance blames the Iran war for Republicans' midterm losses; Trump says he would do it again
The morning after Democrats won both chambers of Congress in the November 3, 2026 midterms, Vice President JD Vance wrote that the reason Republicans lost is the war with Iran. Trump called that largely true but said he would make the same decision again.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Clip from Fox News's Special Report on November 4, 2026, posted by the account Acyn. Marc Thiessen calls Vance's statement disloyal to Trump and says Trump has repeatedly said the war was the right thing to do, and host Bret Baier asks whether Vance wants to run for president.
Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Before the quotation
On a Special Report panel, Thiessen says he was shocked by Vance's statement and calls it disloyal to the president. He says Trump has said the war might have affected the election but that he would have done it again because it was right for national security.
After the quotation
Thiessen says all he heard from Vance was that Republicans lost because of the Iran war, while Trump is making the case that it was the right thing to do. When host Bret Baier asks whether Vance wants to run for president, Thiessen says Vance needs Trump's endorsement to get the nomination.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Trump administration's decision to go to war with Iran and keep fighting it, judged by its political cost: Vance's claim that the war is the reason Republicans lost the November 3, 2026 midterms. Thiessen faults Vance for not calling the war the right thing to do and praises Trump for putting the country ahead of his political interests. That defends the decision while accepting it carried a political cost.
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More from this case
Read the full caseTed Cruz says the Iran war has dragged on too long and needs to end
“Tariffs have made everything too expensive, and the Iran war has dragged on too long. It should have been brief, decisive, and over. It needs to end, and we should never, under any circumstances, give the Ayatollah billions of dollars.”Read statement
JD Vance says the reason Republicans lost the midterms is the war
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night. If you'd like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay. Agree or disagree, that's at least honest.”Read statement
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says the American people sent U.S. leaders a clear message
“The American people have now sent you a clear message. Yet, if you continue to disregard reality, dismiss the lessons of history, and persist in this dangerous course, the consequences of this grave miscalculation will extend far beyond what you have already witnessed.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Marc Thiessen faults Vance for not saying the war was the right thing to do". First published: 2026-11-07. Last updated: 2026-11-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/8330-on-fox-news-s-special-report-thiessen-calls