Vice President J.D. Vance said Wednesday that Republicans’ problem in the elections wasn’t that they didn’t show up — but that they did show up, only to cast votes for Democrats.
The No. 2 Republican delivered a striking mea culpa, saying those who’d been warning for months that the GOP was on the wrong track were correct.
That included voters angered by higher prices, but chiefly upset over President Trump’s deepening involvement in the Middle East, he said on social media.
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“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Mr. Vance said.
“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,” he said. “But everyone knows why we lost. And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
He specifically discounted the idea that Mr. Trump’s mass deportation campaign was the cause, saying that while tweaks to the operation may be welcome, blaming the GOP’s immigration message was “gaslighting.”
“I’m open to the idea that we should change enforcement — by focusing more on businesses that hire illegal labor, for instance. But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you,” he said.
Mr. Vance, who had been seen as a likely contender for Mr. Trump’s seat in 2028, said voters who backed him and Mr. Trump two years ago abandoned Republicans this time.
“To the people who are pissed off and want to say, ‘I told you so’: you’re right, you did tell us so. Take that energy into electing Republicans who share your worldview. To the people who are just pissed at the results, you should be. Let’s take that anger and get back to the work of saving our country,” Mr. Vance said.
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