Press in Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Poland reads Vance's remark on the Iran war as a sign of distance from Trump ahead of 2028
Vice President Vance names the war as the reason for the defeat, Trump agrees and would decide the same way again, commentaries ask about the 2028 candidacy.
In the press of several countries, the debate on the morning of 5 November revolves less around the result of the congressional election than around the question of who is responsible for the Republicans' defeat. The basis is projections according to which the Democrats win the Senate and the House of Representatives. There is no official final result yet.
The occasion is a statement by Vice President JD Vance. According to the Argentine newspaper Perfil (4 November, 19:37 CET), Vance said the Republicans had lost because of the war against Iran. According to Perfil, President Trump largely agreed, pointed to the increased fuel prices and said he would decide the same way again.
Argentina: distance with a view to 2028. Perfil interprets the remark as an apparent attempt by Vance to distance himself from the war ahead of a possible run for the White House in 2028.
Uruguay: open question about the frontrunner. The newspaper El Observador (4 November) writes that the president and vice president are publicly linking the defeat to the Iran war. The Democrats' victory raises questions as to whether Vance is still the main frontrunner for the Republican nomination in 2028.
Poland: rift at the top. The portal Interia (Patryk Idziak, accessed on 5 November), citing the Wall Street Journal, speaks of a rift at the top of power in the US. Vance is distancing himself from Trump and from the Iran war, it says.
Spain: assigning blame instead of criticising Trump. The online outlet Mundiario sees it differently. Víctor García Marrero writes in an analysis (5 November, 4:48 CET) that Vance's admission does not mean a change of course, Trump is sticking to his decision. In a second text (5:05 CET) he writes that the party leadership would rather “repartir reproches antes que cuestionar al presidente” (assign blame than question the president). The war and the petrol price serve as an explanation so that nobody has to criticise Trump directly.
What the texts have in common is their focus on the 2028 presidential election. They disagree on whether Vance is really distancing himself from Trump or merely deflecting blame away from the president. These are the views of the respective media and authors. Further press voices are under Reports, what the new Congress can do from January is in the timeline.