{"id":2602492,"date":"2026-05-14T05:44:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-push-to-remake-dc-gives-democrats-affordability-opening\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T05:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:46:12","slug":"trumps-push-to-remake-dc-gives-democrats-affordability-opening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-push-to-remake-dc-gives-democrats-affordability-opening\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s push to remake DC gives Democrats affordability opening"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-push-to-remake-dc-gives-democrats-affordability-opening%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602492&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump sparked fallout by dismissing voters\u2019 \u201cfinancial situation\u201d while discussing efforts to end the Iran war, saying he only focuses on preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and not Americans\u2019 day-to-day costs. Democrats quickly criticized his remarks, pointing to inflation and arguing that Trump and Senate Republicans prioritize projects like a proposed $1 billion White House ballroom security package over lowering living costs.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans defended the comments, wiht House Minority Leader Mike Johnson arguing that reopening the Strait of Hormuz would relieve gas prices and other economic pressures, and touting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-rescinds-trumps-apprenticeship-plan-by-executive-order\/\" title=\"Biden Rescinds ......s Apprenticeship Plan By Executive Order\">pro-growth policies<\/a>. Still, the political tension is heightened by continued gas prices, stalled or failed attempts at peace to end the iran conflict, and Trump\u2019s emphasis on White House construction and renovations that many voters view as disconnected from pocketbook concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans have also questioned the ballroom funding, while new <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >polling suggests broad public opposition<\/a> to both the ballroom and another large White House-related construction project. Analysts say Democrats are likely to use Trump\u2019s dismissive economy remarks in campaigns, forcing GOP lawmakers-especially in competitive races-to balance criticizing Democrats without alienating Trump.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Before President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> left Washington for <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/beijing\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3271\">Beijing<\/a> this week, he made stark comments about the economic woes facing the public.<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cfinancial situation\u201d of voters was not a priority, Trump said, as he seeks to end the Iran war. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4567640\/vance-johnson-run-cover-trump-financial-situation-gaffe\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance and Johnson run cover for Trump\u2019s \u2018financial situation\u2019 gaffe<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4567018\/jd-vance-pushes-states-root-out-medicaid-fraud-risk-losing-federal-funding\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance pushes states to root out Medicaid fraud or risk losing federal funding<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4566720\/jd-vance-fraud-task-force-pause-medicare-home-healthcare-hospice\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Vance\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fraud-task-force-pauses-medicare-enrollments-for-healthcare-services\/\" title=\"Fraud task ... pauses Medicare enrollments for healthcare services\">fraud task force pauses<\/a> new Medicare enrollments for home healthcare and hospice services<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>\u201cThe only thing that matters, when I\u2019m talking about Iran: They can\u2019t have a nuclear weapon,\u201d he told reporters while speaking on the South Lawn. \u201cI don\u2019t think about Americans\u2019 financial situation. I don\u2019t think about anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Democrats pounced immediately on those comments. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says almost anything, and he doesn\u2019t care,\u201d said Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"384\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) while speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday morning. \u201cClearly, Donald Trump doesn\u2019t care about Americans\u2019 financial situation, considering that just this morning, we saw wholesale inflation skyrocket to 6%, the highest it\u2019s been since December of 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic leader then segued into blasting Trump over a topic that has recently captured his attention: his insistence that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"31\">Congress<\/a> provide $1 billion in security funding for the White House ballroom through a second reconciliation bill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow what is Donald Trump thinking about instead? Himself, especially his new ballroom,\u201d Schumer said. \u201cAt a time when 77%, that\u2019s 77% of Americans, say that Donald Trump\u2019s policies have increased their cost of living, Trump and the Senate GOP try to force through a bill that would spend a billion taxpayer dollars on a gilded ballroom and not one penny on bringing down American costs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) later claimed Trump and the GOP didn\u2019t \u201cgive a damn\u201d about the personal finances of the American people during his weekly press conference.<\/p>\n<p>House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) defended Trump\u2019s comments as reporters peppered him about Trump\u2019s comments about the economy and about the president\u2019s penchant for a newly constructed ballroom at the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/white-house\/\" type=\"category\" id=\"125\">White House<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know the context in which he made that comment, but I can tell you, the president thinks about Americans\u2019 financial situations,\u201d Johnson said Wednesday morning during a press conference. \u201cHe\u2019s laser focused on trying to resolve the conflict in Iran, because if we get the Strait of Hormuz, when we get the Strait of Hormuz reopened, that will alleviate a lot of pressure with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gas-prices\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"940\">gas prices<\/a> and other things in the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Johnson also touted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he said was \u201cinfused with pro-growth policies,\u201d as an example of the GOP\u2019s focus on affordability.<\/p>\n<p>But as gas prices remain at an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/\">average of $4.51 per gallon<\/a> just ahead of the summer holiday season, Trump\u2019s focus on ending an unpopular war in Iran and on construction projects that don\u2019t affect the average American\u2019s daily life is putting the GOP in an awkward position.<\/p>\n<p>Peace talks to end the war have fallen apart since Operation Epic Fury launched on Feb. 28. After more than 10 months of the conflict, three Senate Republicans \u2014 Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Rand Paul (R-KY) \u2014 joined with nearly all Democrats except Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) in the seventh failed resolution to end the war. <\/p>\n<p>At a Rose Garden event on Monday celebrating National Police Week, Trump focused some of his remarks on the changes he has made to the White House.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis place was not properly taken care of,\u201d said Trump. \u201cI was told by my wife, \u2018You have to act presidential, so don\u2019t use foul language.\u2019 I won\u2019t. Therefore, normally I wouldn\u2019t say it was a s*** house, but I don\u2019t want to say that. The columns were falling down. The plaster was falling off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump then bragged about \u201call the brand new, beautiful stone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI paid for it myself. All of the stone, all of the different things we have, and we\u2019re bringing the White House back to shape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump has also focused some of his attention on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4563101\/nonprofit-sues-stop-trump-renovation-reflecting-pool\/\">Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool<\/a> renovation and the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4564041\/survey-work-trump-triumphal-arch-dc\/\">construction of an arch<\/a> comparable to Paris\u2019 Arc de Triomphe, neither of which addresses the pocketbook issues that voters are concerned about.<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans have balked at supporting the $1 billion ballroom funding request. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t fathom that kind of number for security,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ReedReports\/status\/2054316264428871740\">said<\/a> Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), while Rep.\u00a0Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/05\/12\/congress\/brian-fitzpatrick-ballroom-funding-00917848\">said<\/a> the ballroom is \u201cNot happening here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, said it was likely that Democrats could run ads featuring Trump\u2019s comments on the economy ahead of the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a>. \u201cIt seems to hand them like a really big political club,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s comments come as the Republican odds of keeping control of the House increased after the Supreme Court\u2019s recent ruling <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4410470\/supreme-court-strikes-down-race-based-redistricting-map-in-louisiana\/\">weakening the Voting Rights Act<\/a>. Several states are moving forward with creating more GOP-leaning districts.<\/p>\n<p>But with Trump\u2019s dismissive comments about the economy and obsession with several construction projects, Republicans are once again forced to focus on issues that put them on the defensive against Democrats. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe image of him tearing down the east wing, and then of Republicans potentially trying to fund the ballroom at a time when Americans have been hurting for many years, and are hurting even worse now, I think it\u2019s a bit of a slap in the face to many people who voted for Trump and just many Americans,\u201d Dallek said. <\/p>\n<p>Trump claimed the ballroom is \u201cunder budget\u201d before he left for China, while Johnson claimed, \u201cthere\u2019s an urgent need for increased security measures\u201d during his press conference. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ballroom is totally privately funded,\u201d he added. \u201cThe president has dedicated like $400 million for that project, and by the way, it\u2019s going to be a donation to the country.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>A recent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2026\/04\/30\/washington-post-poll-trump-ballroom\/\"><em>Washington Post<\/em>-ABC News-Ipsos poll<\/a> showed that 56% of Americans opposed the ballroom while only 28% support the project. The poll also showed 52% opposed the construction of the arch, while only 21% supported the project.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans in competitive races will likely have to \u201cthread the needle\u201d of pushing back against Trump\u2019s priorities without incurring his wrath, said Dallek. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4565100\/trump-financial-situation-not-motivating-talks-end-iran-war\/\">TRUMP SAYS PEOPLE\u2019S \u2018FINANCIAL SITUATION\u2019 NOT MOTIVATING TALKS TO END IRAN WAR<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4557669\/trump-beats-lame-duck-indianna-romp\/\">dominance over the GOP<\/a> remains strong. Five Indiana Republican state senators lost primaries to Trump-backed challengers after refusing to go forward with a mid-decade redistricting plan in the state. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt may not be possible to do, but they\u2019re going to try and thread a needle where they are going to support the president,\u201d Dallek said. \u201cBut they\u2019re going to probably try to put a little bit of distance between themselves and Trump on inflation. And how they do that is a tall order.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Before President Trump left for Beijing, he dismissed voters\u2019 economic concerns, saying their \u201cfinancial situation\u201d wouldn\u2019t factor into his push to end the Iran war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2602493,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26132652799549.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[18297,41291,3685],"class_list":["post-2602492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-affordability","tag-dc-politics","tag-democrats"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26132652799549.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602492"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602496,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602492\/revisions\/2602496"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}