President Donald Trump had something urgent to address as he returned to Washington on a recent Sunday from his luxurious Mar-a-Lago residence, writes The Associated Press.
It wasn't about the war on Iran, nor the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. He wanted to talk about a different matter. He showed journalists invited aboard Air Force One large-scale images of the plans for the $400 million ballroom he ordered to be built at the White House, complete with hand-carved Corinthian columns of the “highest quality.”
“I'm so busy I don't have time for this. I'm fighting wars and stuff,” Trump told reporters, before detailing plans for the “greatest ballroom in the world.”
The focus on the project has become a point of attack for Democrats and a source of concern for some Republicans, who worry that it is not giving enough time to the issues that most concern voters ahead of the November elections, when the U.S. holds midterm elections.
A major victory for the Democrats, which would allow them to regain control of at least one of the legislative chambers in Washington, would have a significant impact on the policies that Trump will be able to implement until the end of his term, notes The Associated Press.
Compared to Marie Antoinette by one of her great rivals
The ballroom is not the only Trump project that has raised questions.
On Thursday, as the president flew to Las Vegas to discuss tax cuts for tipped Americans, his administration moved forward with plans to build a 76-foot-tall Arc de Triomphe near the Lincoln Memorial that would include a statue similar to the Statue of Liberty and a pair of golden eagles.
Still, Trump's preoccupation with some of the lavish perks of the presidency, while more Americans worry about bills, has drawn accusations that he is a modern-day Marie Antoinette.
“'He's making wars' and gas prices are skyrocketing, and Trump has time to brag about the ballroom financed by billionaires,” Democratic Senator Andy Kim reacted on the “X” social network to the presentation of the ballroom aboard Air Force One.
Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, considered a possible presidential candidate in 2028, was even more direct in his comparison to the last queen before the French Revolution, who came to symbolize extravagant opulence. Newsom posted an AI-generated image of Trump's face on social media.
“'MARIA ANTAINETA' TRUMP SAYS: 'NO MEDICAL CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!'” Newsom wrote on “X,” mimicking Trump's style of capitalizing some of his important messages.
The White House argues that Trump's success benefits all Americans
Asked about opponents who invoke the figure of Marie Antoinette, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump “will go down in history as the most successful and influential president of our era.”
“His successes in service to the American people will be imprinted in the fabric of America and will be felt by every White House administration that follows,” Ingle said.
The president faced similar criticism in his first term. But lately he has been unable to avoid accusations that he is out of touch with Americans' concerns about high costs, which could leave the Republican Party in a difficult position as it tries to retain control of Congress.
About two-thirds of Americans said Trump is “out of touch” with the concerns of most people in the United States, according to a February ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. It should be noted, however, that the same percentage said the same thing about the Democratic Party.
The AP notes that presidents are typically removed from voters, separated by layers of security and surrounded by enthusiastic subordinates. In her book “Why Presidents Fail and How They Can Succeed Again,” political scientist Elaine Kamarck argues that heads of state end up focusing too much on their own political narratives at the expense of public concerns.
However, in Trump's case, “all of these things are, frankly, unique to him,” she says. She gave the example of the ballroom as well as other White House renovations, soon to be added Trump's signature on US bills and the renaming of the Kennedy Center to bear his name.
“It's, I think, a reflection of his own background as a businessman and the fact that he built his fortune by capitalizing on his name,” said Kamarck, who served in the Bill Clinton administration.
A $100 tip and a golden tractor
Touting new tax deductions for tips, Trump theatrically orchestrated a McDonald's order to the Oval Office and tipped the delivery lady $100. When she talked about the high medical bills generated by her husband's cancer treatments, Trump told her to bring him to an upcoming UFC gala on the White House lawn.
When hundreds of farmers were invited to the White House for a speech on farm policy, they sat on the South Lawn next to a tractor painted gold.
It was drizzling, but Trump didn't get wet, addressing the farmers from a covered balcony on the second floor of the White House. “Don't mind the rain,” the president told the farmers below.
Then he flew to Miami for a conference of Saudi investors who, the president noted, are too rich to be impressed by American families scrambling to save $5,000.
“I know they're thinking, 'What the hell is $5,000?'” Trump joked. “Their shoes cost more than $5,000.”
Asked in February what his message was to young homebuyers, Trump replied: “Save a little more. Wait a little longer.”
Messages from the Trump administration are not helping his cause
Cabinet members have also contributed to the perception that Trump's promised “Golden Age” will not come for everyone. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. advised Americans to buy liver instead of beef.
“If you're going to buy a steak, it's still pretty expensive. But if you go for the cheaper cuts, it's great meat. And it's very, very affordable. Or liver, or, you know, all these alternatives,” he told Joe Rogan in an interview for his podcast.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said people can still afford meals consisting of “a piece of chicken, a serving of broccoli, a corn tortilla and then some.”
Concerns for Republicans Ahead of November Elections
The White House has sought to show that Trump is attentive to voters' concerns by sending him to hotly contested parts of the country to promote his cost-cutting efforts. But Trump undermined that message by insisting that affordability concerns are a “hoax” by Democrats, the AP writes.
Republican consultant Brendan Steinhauser says he thinks Trump “can get away, to some extent” with building a ballroom because voters expect such things from him as a tough negotiator and businessman.
But Steinhauser added in comments to the AP that he worries about dramatic increases in gasoline prices and the possibility of a weakening economy that could resonate with voters.
Ahead of the midterm elections, he says, Democrats could score points “by trying to turn it into more of a debate about Trump and his oligarch friends.”
