Trump Ballroom Saga Takes Brutal Turn for GOP as Midterm Panic Worsens

THE DAILY BLAST with Greg Sargent

The New Republic

News, Politics

4.4 • 800 Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2026

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Donald Trump hasn’t thought this one through. Politico reports that Republicans are grappling with rising “anxiety” about the midterms. A key reason: Trump’s obsession with his ballroom and other pet projects is muddying the GOP economic message. That’s bad enough. Worse, Republicans just agreed to seek $1 billion in taxpayer money for the ballroom. Though this is allegedly for security, vulnerable Republicans will hate having to defend this. It’s not just that they themselves are lamenting that the project is distracting from their message. It’s also that the ballroom is already deeply unpopular and they’re now tied more tightly to it. We talked to political scientist Tom Schaller, author of a good piece on Trump’s “vanity presidency.” He explains why the ballroom is so deadly for the GOP, how Trump is creating a uniquely “personalist” form of presidential rule, and why Trump’s megalomania actually matters to the voters who will help decide the midterms. Looking for More from the DSR Network? Click Here: https://linktr.ee/deepstateradio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:45.8	This is the Daily Blast from the New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
0:48.2	I'm your host, Greg Sargent. Donald Trump's allies are privately warning that the GOP is in serious trouble in the midterms.
1:02.7	Politico reports that Trump's obsessions with his vanity projects, like his ballroom,
1:07.5	are distracting from the economic message that Republicans think is necessary to stave off a
1:12.3	bloodbath. So what did Trump do this week? Well, he managed to get Republicans to seek
1:18.5	$1 billion in taxpayer money for the ballroom. He also rambled bizarrely about his support
1:25.0	with MAGA voters, as if that somehow will matter in the midterms.
1:29.9	Trump simply does not have any conception of public service, of the presidency as an institution
1:35.5	that belongs to the people. Is that itself becoming a huge liability for the GOP?
	...

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