Trump Says Israel Would Not Exist Without US Support, Defends Iran War Despite Election Losses

U.S. President Donald Trump said in an interview with CBS overnight Sunday into Monday that countries protected by the United States during the war would be expected to reimburse Washington for its military expenditures. “The countries we defended will reimburse us for all the expenses we incurred during the war, because without us, they would not exist. Without us, Israel would not exist,” Trump declared.

The president also addressed ongoing negotiations with Iran and the possibility of renewed military escalation. Asked whether further strikes might be necessary, Trump dismissed the prospect, saying, “I’m not interested in that. I don’t think there is any reason to do it.”

Trump Explains Republican Defeat in Midterm Elections

During the interview, Trump reflected on his party’s defeat in the midterm elections, attributing the results partly to his absence from the ballot and voters’ dissatisfaction with the war and rising fuel prices.

“First of all, I wasn’t on the ballot,” Trump said. “But I campaigned vigorously for several people, and I think that if I had been running myself, things would have been very different. There was tremendous enthusiasm. We held massive rallies. But we had to transfer those voters to candidates they didn’t like.”

Trump added that opposition to the military campaign had played a significant role in shaping voter sentiment. “They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gas prices went up, because I had brought them down to a very low level. And there is, remarkably, a great deal of hostility toward Israel.”

Trump Defends Military Campaign Against Iran

Trump was also asked about remarks by Vice President JD Vance, who had attributed the Republican Party’s electoral setback to the war against Iran. The president acknowledged that the conflict had likely contributed to the results but maintained that the military campaign had been necessary.

“I don’t disagree with that,” Trump responded. “The only thing I would have liked him to say is whether he would do it again if he had the opportunity.”

Trump reiterated his support for the decision to launch the war, emphasizing his determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. “My answer is an emphatic yes, because Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons,” he said. “I think that, from a historical perspective, this will be regarded as a very good decision.”