After defeat in the midterms, Republicans dispute MAGA heritage and blame war with Iran

The day after the mid-term legislative elections opened the fight for leadership of the Republican field for 2028 in the United States, with public criticism of the Donald Trump government and the conduct of the war with Iran, according to a report by Peter Doocy, from Fox News, shown at the White House.

The trigger was a publication by Vice President JD Vance, who wrote, in reference to Republicans opposed to the war, that the reason for the defeat is the war itself, as the president would have said the night before. Vance questioned whether losing the Senate for the next six years was worth it and called for an honest conversation about the path forward.

Peter Doocy recalled that Trump has told him over the past 18 months that he considers Vance the likely heir to MAGA. According to the reporter, it is not known whether the results of the polls or the vice president's attempt to move away from the war with Iran can change this situation.

Republican voices differ

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis accused House and Senate Republicans of wasting the last two years. According to him, part of the voters who stayed at home were frustrated with the party's lack of productivity, which promised great advances and failed to deliver. DeSantis advocated major conservative changes capable of reorienting the country for a generation.

In the studio, presenter Brian criticized the vice president's stance and stated that, according to several reports last month, Vance had advised Trump in private, in February, not to carry out attacks on Iran. In his opinion, public dissent is different from advice given in the crisis room, and the attitude would harm the administration. Brian also attributed part of the problem to a previous deal with Iran, which would have released resources without quid pro quo.

Newt Gingrich, quoted in the report, assessed that the scale of the Republican defeat leaves the dispute for the party's presidential nomination completely open. Another presenter, Lawrence, cited a report from The Atlantic magazine that would describe a possible agenda for Vance, with an end to the war, a focus on the cost of living and inflation, priority to the United States and a change in the relationship with Israel. Brian responded by saying that this would be exactly what Iran wants.

Democrats and the message about inflation

On the Democratic side, Representative Hakeem Jeffries announced his candidacy for Speaker of the House and promised to prioritize issues that concern Americans, such as the accessibility of life. In the assessment of Fox presenters, the group on the left of the party, which defends abolishing ICE, taxing the rich and expanding Medicare for all, tends to make coordination with the White House difficult. Lawrence said such proposals would be vetoed by Trump.

Commentator Stephen A. Smith, cited in the report, warned that the Democratic victory does not prove that the party has gained lasting trust and demanded a concrete plan on housing, health and wages. For Lawrence, a socialist agenda would tend to be even more inflationary.

For investors, the central point is the debate about the cost of living and inflation, which dominates the discourse of both parties. Brian cited an editorial from the Wall Street Journal according to which increasing public spending in an unreasonable way would cause inflation to soar, the opposite of what is done to reduce it. The change in the balance of power in Congress, with an impasse between the White House and the opposition, and the uncertainty about the war with Iran are factors to watch for the stock market, interest rates and the dollar, but the report does not include market data.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.