Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Republicans need a new leader who can carry the party's agenda after Donald Trump leaves office, arguing that Trump will not be on the ballot again and that the GOP must find an America-first figure to succeed him. Leavitt made the remarks on Lara Trump's "My View" show on Fox News.
Leavitt said the next Republican standard-bearer should reach working-class voters and offer them hope. She also credited Democrats with motivating their voters in the midterm elections, and urged Republicans to examine their losses race by race rather than drawing broad conclusions from the national result.
The midterms gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress. In the Senate, Democrats won seats in Michigan, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maine and Minnesota. In the House, Democrats flipped seats in Virginia, Iowa and Nebraska. Leavitt, who has been a prominent public face of the Trump administration, said she has no plans to run for office and wants to spend time with her children.
The political debate came as the Iran conflict remained a major source of attention in Washington. Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, claimed that the United States' "collapse" was accelerating after the midterms. Khamenei has not been seen publicly since a joint US-Israel strike killed his father. A White House statement said Trump "holds all the cards" on Iran, though it did not disclose the timing of any further action.
Iranian authorities have also used symbolic and media tools in their messaging. Iran presented a mock execution exhibit depicting Trump on November 4, the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran, and Iranian media distributed an AI-generated video threatening European states that aid the United States. Iranian state radio reportedly celebrated the Democratic midterm win.
Analysts offered differing views on what the results mean for Iran policy. One analyst noted that exit polls showed only 4 percent of voters named foreign policy as their top issue. Another said the nuclear stockpile remains unaccounted for under international verification. A third argued that Tehran expects to outlast Trump's term and is waiting for a Democratic administration. Experts remain divided over whether Israel-led military action or continued US pressure is the more effective approach.
Separately, the Pentagon plans to stockpile critical minerals, fuel and munitions domestically. The plan is intended to sustain a major war and is tied to constraints in the minerals supply, and it has been compared to Cold War-era Pentagon efforts.