Pence says voters were frustrated not because Trump started the Iran war but because the administration did not finish it
Mike PenceFormer vice president, in an interview with Fox News Digital
Former Vice President Mike Pence says he disagrees with Vice President JD Vance about the reasons for the midterm election outcome, in a Fox News Digital interview published Nov. 12, 2026.
Excerpt from 0:00 to 2:30 of the Fox News Digital video. Taken from Fox News Digital's own video, which plays on the article cited for this source. DI added its logo in the corner.
Video: Fox News Digital. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
Watch the full original video (opens in a new tab) (relevant passage: Full article; Pence's answers on Vance's assessment in the opening paragraphs)
Former Vice President Mike Pence said he disagrees with Vance about why Republicans lost the midterms. He said the Iran war frustrated millions of Americans, but because the administration stopped short of finishing it, not because Trump started it.
“I disagree with the vice president about the reasons for the midterm election outcome. ... There's no question that the war in Iran became a frustration for millions of Americans, but it wasn't because President Trump started the war or took on Iran. It's because we stopped short and didn't finish it”
Interview
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
Interview
About this source
Fox News Digital report on its exclusive interview with former Vice President Mike Pence, his first after the November 3 midterms, on Vice President JD Vance's view that the Iran war cost Republicans control of Congress. It includes a response from an unnamed Vance ally.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Before the quotation
Vance wrote on November 4 that the reason Republicans lost the midterms was the war, citing a pollster who said voters who left the party wanted the war ended, lower costs, America First policies and a change in the U.S. relationship with Israel.
After the quotation
Pence said the reasons for the losses were more complex than gasoline prices or the war, and pointed to the second-term tariffs, the administration's handling of abortion medication and the first family's growing wealth. An unnamed Vance ally told Fox News Digital that Pence is out of touch with how people feel.
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. Pence rejects the idea that going to war cost Republicans the election and says the problem was stopping short of finishing it, which defends the decision to fight, so we labeled it as defending the war.
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More from this case
Read the full caseTrump says the U.S. does not need a deal with Iran and tells Vance to focus on crime
“I have asked Vice President Vance to focus his complete and total attention on the Massive Corruption and Crime taking place in Democrat run Cities and States throughout the U.S. ... We don't need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed. We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait!”Read statement
Randy Fine says Vance's post-election message blamed Jews for the losses
“I definitively will not be supporting the vice president in that nominating contest. I thought his message that he put out the day after the election was abhorrent and, frankly, smacked of the kind of thing you'd read in 1932 Germany ... He's out in my book ... He blamed the Jews for losing the election.”Read statement
Tillis says he does not buy Vance's explanation and points to turnout
“I don't buy it ... JD needs to go back and really look at the cross-tabs, needs to look at the turnout in my state ... That's why we lost”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Pence says voters were frustrated not because Trump started the Iran war but because the administration did not finish it". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8780-former-vice-president-mike-pence-said-he-disagrees