Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is defending President Donald Trump against Republican criticism after the party lost control of Congress, arguing that individual candidates’ defeats should not be treated as a verdict on him.
Fresh from winning a second term, Sanders told USA Today that Trump remained the dominant figure in American politics and should not shoulder responsibility for races in which he was not a candidate.
President Donald J. Trump hosts a Rose Garden Dinner for America’s hunters and fishermen while announcing new Executive Orders, Thursday, September 17, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump attend the FIFA World Cup Final soccer match between Chelsea Football Club and Paris Saint-Germain, Sunday, July 13, 2025, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
Her remarks come amid divisions among Republicans over the future of the party and Trump’s influence within the GOP.
Sanders Rejects a Referendum on Trump
Sanders rejected criticism of the president following a midterm election that saw the Republican Party lose control of both chambers of Congress.
“I think each race has to be looked at independently, and the president, while he still remains the most influential voice in all of Republican politics — frankly, in all of politics — his name wasn’t on the ballot,” she told USA Today in an interview to promote her new book, Unapologetic. “And so, I don’t think that this can be a line drawn against him,” she continued.
The argument echoes Trump’s own response to Tuesday’s results. He wrote on Truth Social that Republicans would have won decisively had he been running, despite previously urging supporters to imagine him on the ballot.
Sanders nevertheless acknowledged that Republicans had experienced a difficult election and identified the economy as the leading factor.
She argued that voters under financial pressure tend to punish the governing party, and said Republicans should sharpen their differences with Democrats.
She also predicted dissatisfaction with newly elected Democratic leaders could help the GOP recover in 2028.
Republican Disagreement
Other Republicans have called for a different response.
Republican strategist John Feehery described the election result to Reuters as a major disaster and urged Trump to replace members of his team.
“He needs to clean house,” Feehery said. “Every day from this point forward, he’s becoming more and more lame.”
On Thursday, the White House denied rumors that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would leave their positions in a post-election shakeup of the Trump administration.
Bobby Charles, the defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate in Maine, offered a direct assessment to Politico. “It sounds a little ironic, but I am nevertheless optimistic for the future because Trump’s going to be gone in two years.”
Sanders “Thankful” for Iran War Decision
Vice President J.D. Vance blamed the conflict with Iran for the GOP’s disappointing election in a lengthy post on X.
“The reason we lost is the war,” he wrote on social media Wednesday, arguing that any honest discussion about the party’s future needed to begin there.
He also noted a senior pollster had warned the Iran war was one of the top issues frustrating voters before Tuesday’s elections.
Trump, who previously acknowledged that the conflict with Iran had played a role in the election results, said Vance’s assessment was “largely true” when pressed by reporters during a tour of the White House ballroom construction. “If I had to do it again, I’d have to do it again because long term, it’s the only answer,” he said. “You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”
Sanders also defended the decision.
“I’m thankful that we have a president who is willing to stand up and do sometimes what is not easy, what is not always politically convenient, but what is certainly in the interest of the American people,” she told USA Today, noting Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its support of terrorism. “I’m thankful that we had a president that was willing to take that on.”
Presidential Run?
Sanders’ new book, according to publisher St. Martin’s Press, covers her first term as Arkansas governor, conservative priorities, Christian faith, and her cancer diagnosis during her first gubernatorial campaign.
Asked about seeking the presidency, Sanders said her focus remained Arkansas.
She also stopped short of an unconditional promise to complete her new term, saying she hoped she would have no reason to do anything else.
Sanders said Vance was “certainly the frontrunner for the Republican nomination” in 2028. So far only Dan Greaney, a former writer of The Simpsons, and former NBA player Royce White have declared themselves as candidates for the GOP.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
