Donald Trump used his first public appearance since the midterm elections to promote a planned White House ballroom, despite Republicans losing control of both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Speaking to reporters at the construction project on Wednesday, the president highlighted the proposed room’s 50-foot ceilings and said it would help accommodate large events. He referred to King Charles asking for space for 350 people at a state dinner, saying this could not be achieved in the White House’s East Room.
Trump later described the planned 90,000-square-foot structure as the “most beautiful ballroom in the world”. His remarks gave little attention to the Democrats’ sweeping midterm victory, with the president instead discussing the ballroom, a helipad, the Reflecting Pool and what he described as the faulty nature of limestone.
The Republican defeat came as voters focused on the high cost of living. Trump’s approval rating was listed at 38.3 per cent by the Silver Bulletin.
After the appearance, Trump repeated his claim that Republicans would have won had he been on the ballot. He had previously urged voters to act as if he were standing for election.
Marjorie Taylor Greene blamed Trump for the result and called him a “cult leader”, while Democrats began indicating that they planned lawsuits and investigations involving the administration.
Ed Markey, the Democratic senator for Massachusetts, joked that Republicans “are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we’ll be printing.”
