Trump says MAGA midterms victory will mean end of war with Iran: ‘This war will end immediately after our election’

On March 2, Donald Trump confidently said that the war with Iran would last “four to five weeks“. A few days later, he added, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” In late March, he revised that, saying it’d be over “very soon… within two to three weeks,” and in early April, promised it’d be over “shortly, very shortly.”

As of writing, the war with Iran has lasted for 6 months and 13 days, has cost around $40 billion, and shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Now Trump has given the world a fresh update and indicated that the only route to peace lies in Republican victories in the November midterms.

Speaking last night at the RNC midterm convention, Trump raised eyebrows by promising $5,000 to every American if Republicans win the midterms and argued that Iran is desperately holding out until November. He said (via CBS News) that “The war will be over very shortly after the election. They’re hanging on for dear life, hoping that we lose, so they can deal with dumb, weak Democrats and they can have their nuclear bomb. But we’re not going to let that happen.”

Trump promises “oil prices will be tumbling downwards”

Later, while boarding Air Force One for a trip to Dallas, Trump was even more adamant that the war is about to conclude, saying, “The war will end immediately after our election” and that “oil prices will be tumbling downwards.” Trump said that Iran’s leaders are hoping for a Democratic victory, which will “let them have their nuclear weapon”.

The ongoing war with Iran is widely considered to be negatively impacting Republican chances of midterm victories. An August poll found that only 31% of Americans support the war, down from an already low 37% when the conflict began in March. The war’s close association with Trump, and its ongoing impact on the economy through high fuel costs, has also contributed to a slump in Trump’s personal popularity, with recent polling putting him at his lowest approval ratings in either of his terms.

This is adding up to a perfect storm for Republicans in November, with some figures already going public with pessimistic predictions. Majority leader John Thune said in August that “people are concerned about the economy and costs and everything else, which they should be since those are pocketbook issues. That’s what most elections are really about”. Republican strategist Alex Patton said Democrat control of the House and Senate is possible: “In private, when the microphones are off, most read the tea leaves and whisper, ‘It’s going to be a bad night.’”