What happened
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance argued that the Republican Party’s support for Israel played a role in its decisive midterm election defeat. Both officials tied U.S. backing for Israel to the war with Iran, saying the foreign entanglement damaged the party’s standing with its base.
In an interview, Trump said voters disliked the war, higher gasoline prices, and Israel itself. He added that he remains “very much Israel-inclined” and expressed concern about what he described as rising antisemitism in the United States.
Vance took a different position, listing four steps he believes the GOP must take to win back voters. The first was ending the Iran war, and the last was changing the relationship with Israel. Trump said Vance was largely correct.
The report cited polling showing a sharp decline in American sentiment toward Israel. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs said Americans rated Israel an average of 44 on a 100-point scale in 2026, down from 58 in 2022, calling it the lowest point in its polling since 1978. Pew Research Center reported in July that 60 percent of American adults hold an unfavorable view of Israel, while Gallup found in February that more Americans sympathize with Palestinians than Israelis for the first time in its survey’s history.
Reaction was divided. Mike Jernigan, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, told the Washington Examiner that the economy, not views on Israel, drove the election outcome. Christians United for Israel rebuked Vance, blaming isolationists for hamstringing the war effort and arguing the conflict should have ended sooner.
Jewish voters supported Democratic candidates by about 68 percent in the midterms, according to the report, though one nonprofit said Republican candidates made gains in some contests. The Jewish Democratic Council of America said Jewish voters remain firmly aligned with the Democratic Party.
Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, said the GOP faces a choice between treating Israel as an instrument of American power or viewing the alliance itself as suspect. He added that if Trump does not make the case for his own strategy, his vice president’s choices will define the party’s posture.
