Trump Devotes First Post-Midterm Event to White House Ballroom After Republican Losses
Photo: The Guardian USPresident Donald Trump devoted his first public event after the midterm elections to the White House ballroom, speaking at the construction site on Wednesday, hours after Republicans suffered historic losses. Democrats retook control of Congress, with one account saying they won both the House and the Senate. Trump spoke for more than 20 minutes, describing limestone columns, 50-foot ceilings, room for more than 300 guests, a roof described as drone-proof, thick marble floors and a military-grade bunker. He said the project was built for the country and obtained free of charge, and that he finds construction relaxing. He also signed the last steel beam to be used, as staff and workers applauded. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called the day one of celebration and gratitude. Trump added that the nation's capital must be made both beautiful and safe.
The Guardian US and The New Republic lead with the gap between the election result and the ballroom talk. The Guardian stresses that for over 20 minutes Trump did not mention the Democratic wave or the losses of dozens of Trump-endorsed candidates, and it lists the ballroom's features and Burgum's remarks. The New Republic is harsher, calling the remarks deranged ramblings, quoting Trump on the ceiling height, the free cost and his love of construction, and saying the defeat could hurt Republicans for a decade. The Daily Mail, on the right, also criticizes him, calling the midterms a horror show and the ballroom a vanity project. But it leads with the steel-beam signing and the applause, quotes his wish for the world's most beautiful ballroom, and links the event to his Lincoln Memorial appearance the day before the election. All agree on the timing, the setting and the Republican losses. The left foregrounds Democratic gains and the missing acknowledgment of them; the Daily Mail foregrounds the construction ceremony and his Washington improvement projects. Reuters and The Times of India use similar framing in their headlines.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the gap between Democratic election gains and Trump's ballroom remarks; right sources focus on the construction event and his Washington beautification projects, though the Daily Mail also criticizes him.
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The Guardian US and The New Republic lead with Trump's ballroom boasting right after Republican losses, citing his own remarks on features and cost, Burgum's comments, and the absence of any mention of Democratic gains.
Reuters and The Times of India headline the ballroom as Trump's first post-midterm event after the Republican rout; Reuters notes his lengthy remarks on it. No fuller detail was available.
The Daily Mail leads with Trump's first appearance after Election Night, centering on the steel-beam signing, staff applause and his remarks on making Washington beautiful and safe, while calling the projects vanity efforts.