Buoyed by defeating Republicans at the ballot box he deemed disloyal to him, President Donald Trump is “almost maniacally focused” on doing whatever he wants, despite the very real potential consequence that could lead to the GOP losing majority control of the House and possibly the Senate in November, Punchbowl News reports.
“Trump appears to have all but given up any pretense that he’s concerned about the increasingly fragile Republican majorities on Capitol Hill,” according to Punchbowl.
It’s not just congressional seats the president is risking, it’s the support of voters who have already given him dismal poll numbers on everything from the economy to the war in Iran.
Voters are facing tremendous health care bills, rising food costs, and a roughly fifty-percent increase at the gas pumps.
“As gas prices skyrocket due to the unpopular war in Iran, Trump says it’s a ‘very small price to pay’ as long as he believes the conflict is proceeding to his liking,” Punchbowl noted.
And the president is often focused on the White House ballroom he now calls “my gift to the United States of America.” He has yet to secure the $1 billion in funding for the security enhancements he is touting.
On Tuesday, Trump held a press conference with pool reporters, going over very specific details including revealing that the ballroom is a “shield” for a military complex underneath, which will go six stories deep. The ballroom, the president detailed, will be constructed of drone-proof glass and steel.
“Regardless of your views about the necessity of White House renovations,” Punchbowl noted, “it doesn’t take a political wiz to come to the conclusion that now might not be the best time to brag about building a plush ballroom.”
The administration this week unveiled the president’s $1.776 billion fund that will compensate alleged victims of Justice Department “weaponization” by the Biden administration. Punchbowl reports even some Republicans were “shocked.”
The president is moving forward with his Triumphal Arch in Washington, D.C., which may cost taxpayers millions. That’s on top of the millions he is spending to resurface the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall.
On Tuesday, the White House revealed the administration is managing “dozens” of construction projects in D.C. Punchbowl noted the administration is renovating what will become a championship golf course, and is putting the president’s name and face on several federal government buildings.
Trump is also removing thousands of troops from Europe, building “Trump battleships,” and “even letting his Defense secretary campaign against one of the president’s political opponents” — something experts say is highly unusual, especially while the nation is at war.
“Trump now has a Senate Republican Conference that includes two senators he targeted for defeat, plus a handful of vulnerable Republicans who are simply hoping to survive the midterms,” Punchbowl observed. “Getting to 51 will be very difficult for the rest of 2026.”
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