Lara Trump said the Iran war could cost Republicans the midterms. Here’s how the president responded.

• Lara Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, said the Iran war could cost Republicans the midterms.
• She’s not part of the Trump administration, but her acknowledgment of the political risk is notable.
• Trump said the war could hurt Republicans — but argued it should help.

President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law addressed a possibility that the White House has largely sought to downplay: The war in Iran could cost Republicans the midterms.

In an appearance on the YouTube show “Harry Cole Saves the West” on Wednesday, Lara Trump, who is married to Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, spoke about the possible impact of the war on the midterms as Americans contend with the conflict’s rising economic toll.

On his show, Cole asked the Fox News host and former cochair of the Republican National Committee about Donald Trump’s handling of the ongoing war, saying that it “could cost him his legacy.”

“Well, it could cost him these midterms,” Lara Trump said. “I think Donald Trump’s legacy has yet to be written, and I think that in a lot of ways — I still say he’s going to go down in history as one of the greatest presidents, if not the greatest America has ever seen — but you’re right. The last two years really matter.”

At the White House on Thursday, Donald Trump was asked if he agreed with his daughter-in-law’s political assessment.

The president told reporters “it’s possible” the war could hurt Republicans in the midterms, but argued it “should help” because Iran would not have a nuclear weapon.

“So when you say, ‘Is it OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon?’ I would say 100% of the people say no, including worldwide,” he said.”So when you say it that way, it would help. If you don’t say that, it could hurt.”

Though Lara Trump holds no official role in the Trump administration, her statement appeared to be a rare acknowledgment from a member of the president’s inner circle that Republicans could struggle to maintain control of the House and the Senate if the war continues.

Still, later in the interview she said the president “really hates the way that things have gone with Iran” and wished that “things had more swiftly happened.”

Vice President JD Vance took a different approach when asked in September if the Iran war would be over by the midterm elections. Vance said that he “wouldn’t call it a war,” touted the accomplishments of Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury, and added, “You would have to ask the Iranians.”

The Iran war remains a tough sell as voters grapple with rising energy prices and inflation driven by the conflict. In June, Moody’s Analytics estimated that the war cost US households $100 billion in its first three months — nearly $750 per household.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.