Trump floods the zone with press ban, triumphal arch, Kennedy Center

President Trump in the last four days has discussed putting snipers and drones in the triumphal arch he plans as a gateway to the Capitol.

He’s also banned three media organizations from the White House over their coverage and has been photographed looking at printouts on Air Force One that appeared to suggest the demolishing of the Kennedy Center.

It’s all worrisome for Republicans, who are concerned he’s not showing voters that he’s focused on the economy and lowering prices, the issue that keeps popping up for them in polls as the Senate battleground widens and fears the GOP will lose the House majority expand.

“The guy was elected in 2016 off the phrase ‘build the wall,’ so I don’t think it’s a surprise to many Americans that building things is a passion of his,” said one Republican close to the White House.

“The main problem the president and the party have is that national renovations aren’t controversial, but when the American people don’t have the money to renovate their own backyards, they aren’t going to love or care about the renovations the president is passionate about,” they added.

Other Republicans note the president’s moves could be seen as ways to galvanize his hardcore base as the party seeks to maximize midterm turnout.

“I think it solidifies things in the minds of people that love Trump, and I think it solidifies things in the minds of people that hate Trump,” said a Republican strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Republican strategist Ford O’Connell noted that Trump’s “flood the zone” approach with news coverage can be interpreted as an effort to get Democrats off-balance in their own messaging going into the midterms.

“It’s great because it causes Democrats to use up all of their energy, and a lot of times get distracted,” O’Connell said.

“He gets them hopping around,” he continued. “He floods the zone then Democrats jump the shark and then they lose their own messaging.”

But critics argue the stream of eyebrow-raising headlines, while perhaps distracting from other events, are doing little to help the GOP weeks from the midterms.

“It’s all undisciplined nonsense that further reminds voters he’s not focused on the one job he had. To reduce the cost of living,” said Rob Stutzman, a Republican strategist.

A second Republican strategist warned that Democrats will use Trump’s focus on issues like the press ban to get Republican candidates off message.

“The candidates take the [Democrats’] bait because they’re going to keep that fodder going, and it gets them off message,” the strategist said. “It’s candidate discipline at its worst right now.”

Strategists note a majority of voters are not locked into the day-to-day news coverage of the Beltway but say Trump’s focus on the Kennedy Center and triumphal arch in particular give the impression the White House is not focused on top voter priorities like the economy.

“If those people are paying attention, it doesn’t give them the impression that the White House and Republicans are focused on the issue that does matter to them most,” the second unnamed strategist said.

“That’s the real danger,” the strategist continued. “Even if this isn’t a driving issue for them, anything that makes them feel like the eyeballs and the attention are in a place where they shouldn’t be is problematic.”

As the daily churn of controversy around Trump turns, gas and diesel prices soar and inflation shows no signs of subsiding.

The national average for gas prices sat at $4.47 while diesel hit $6.51 on Monday, according to AAA. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh last week announced the central bank was raising interest rates by a quarter of a point to tackle inflation.

Trump’s allies argue he and Republican candidates are able to “walk and chew gum at the same time” when it comes to talking about the economy and other issue areas.

“President Trump cut taxes, lowered prescription drug costs, and lessened the financial burden placed on working families by reckless Democrats,” said Natalie Baldassarre, press secretary at the Republican National Committee.

“Our candidates will continue to highlight all of the Administration’s achievements on the campaign trail,” she continued.

In Iowa, a state acutely impacted by not only rising gas prices but also diesel prices because of its agriculture sector, incumbents and candidates are raising the alarm over energy prices.

“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices,” Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) wrote in a post on social platform X, calling for a suspension of the gas tax as well as a pause of diesel exports and using more E-15 fuel.

Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) called for diesel prices to come down in his own post, saying U.S. energy should be sold to Americans first and advocating for the passage of his own Iowa-led biofuel legislation.

Both Hinson and Nunn are facing toss-up election bids.

Some Republicans are urging candidates, particularly those running in competitive districts and states, to run their own races independent of the noise coming out of Washington.

“This is why any strategist worth their weight tells you, you need to run your race in your district even if you’re running for a federal office, you need to be talking to your voters at home about what’s going on there,” the second unnamed GOP strategist said.

“If you can’t handle a level of question about everything that’s going on in D.C., and bring it back to an affordability argument about how you as a candidate even in this will be able to deliver, you shouldn’t be running,” the strategist said.