US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and sweeping tariff policies are driving up household costs, potentially undermining Republican prospects in the November 3 midterm elections, Reuters reported on Saturday.
“Foreign policy is rarely the deciding factor in US midterm elections,” Reuters noted, but the war and tariffs have made Trump’s international policies a domestic economic issue as Americans grapple with rising fuel and grocery prices.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted earlier this month found that 78% of Americans blame Trump’s policies for price increases outpacing their earnings. Reuters said the growing backlash could threaten Republican control of Congress, drawing comparisons with the 2006 midterms, when Republicans lost both chambers amid public opposition to then-President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq.
Trump foreign policy hits voters in the pocketbook, imperiling Republicans in midterms https://t.co/ruRtchEVjE https://t.co/ruRtchEVjE
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 24, 2026
“The bottom line is people are experiencing the impact of Trump’s war and other policies,” Christopher Preble, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, told Reuters. “Now voters have a chance to register their discontent with how he’s dealing with all this.”
According to Reuters, Trump has taken steps to ease pressure on consumers ahead of the elections, including lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports and pressing Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian refineries. He has also pledged not to launch further attacks on Iran before the midterms, although the United States and Israel are reportedly preparing for a possible escalation afterward.
A tanker loaded with diesel fuel sets sails from Russia for the U.S., the first shipment since President Trump agreed a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more fuel into the global market. https://t.co/NuBB4sjYT4
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 23, 2026
Reuters noted that most voters oppose the war, which Trump launched alongside ‘Israel’ despite campaigning against new foreign interventions. Some Republican candidates have also distanced themselves from his positions on the Middle East conflict, tariffs and Ukraine.
The report said Democrats are widely projected to gain control of the House of Representatives, while the Senate has also become increasingly competitive. Losing either chamber would complicate Trump’s domestic agenda during the final two years of his term, although Congress would face limits in constraining his foreign policy decisions.
Looking beyond the election, Reuters cited Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who said: “For many presidents who feel politically constrained (at home), foreign policy is the area where they are able to act with relative freedom.”
The election outcome could therefore influence whether Trump feels constrained or emboldened in his approach to Iran, Russia, China and other countries after the votes are counted, according to Reuters.
Source: Al-Manar English Website