Trump Showcases White House Ballroom a Day After Democrats Win House and Senate

President Donald Trump used his first public remarks after the midterms to showcase the White House ballroom under construction, speaking outside the site on Wednesday, just over 12 hours after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate. Trump said he doubted any ballroom in the country has a 50-foot ceiling, said it was built free of charge, and described Corinthian columns and rare marble. He said he finds construction relaxing, signed the final steel beam alongside crew members' names, and addressed the Iran war. Exit polls showed 71% of voters want Congress to do more to check Trump and 62% blamed him for higher prices. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to halt Trump's agenda.

The New York Post, on the right, leads with a beaming Trump lifting his spirits after a devastating blowout. It features the columns, helipad and King Charles remarks, compares the event to Monday's Reflecting Pool speech, and supplies the exit-poll numbers and Schumer's vow. On the left, MS NOW says the day proved critics right that Trump puts personal pursuits first. The New Republic quotes his ceiling, marble and construction remarks, calls them deranged ramblings, and faults him for offering his party no encouragement. Both sides agree on the timing, the ballroom focus and the scale of the loss. They differ in tone: the Post adds polling and Schumer, while the left stresses voters' rejection of his policies. Straight Arrow News adds a distinct angle with the steel beam signing and the Iran war, while AP stresses detachment and deflected blame.