'I don't care about the midterms.' Trump says Iran misjudged him [View all]

Source: USA Today

May 27, 2026, 2:56 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran wrongly assumed he would retreat from his demands during negotiations to avoid a long standoff ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting on May 27, Trump said the Iranian regime "thought they were going to outwait me" regarding a peace deal. "'We'll outwait him. He's got the midterms,'” Trump said. "I don't care about the midterms. Look what happened last night. That was the prelude to the midterms."

Trump was referencing victories of candidates he endorsed in Republican primaries across the country, headlined by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lopsided U.S. Senate primary defeat of incumbent Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

As the U.S. war in Iran drags on, Trump and Republicans risk making high gas prices caused by the conflict a focal point of the midterm election in November. Republicans face an uphill fight to retain their slim majority in the House, and Democrats increasingly believe they have a path to take control of the Senate.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/05/27/trump-iran-midterm-elections-gas-prices/90279276007/