Republicans suffered a sweeping midterm defeat, and Trump is pinning the blame on local candidates rather than his own decisions, even as he admits the Iran war hurt his party.

• Republicans lost the Senate and Texas elected a Democratic governor after Greg Abbott's defeat; Trump blamed Abbott for turning "rhino" late in his career instead of owning the loss.
• Polling shows most voters opposed the Iran war and said it was a major factor in how they voted, undercutting Trump's own officials who insisted otherwise.
• Trump acknowledged the war cost Republicans votes but said he'd do it again, arguing Iran can't be allowed to build a nuclear weapon, even though no evidence shows Iran had one.
• His repeated claim that he "had no choice" on Iran raised questions about whether outside pressure, rather than his own judgment, is driving his biggest decisions.

Outlook: With the Senate now in Democratic hands, expect continued fallout within the Republican Party over the war and sharper questions about Trump's decision-making heading into the rest of his term.