Trump faces reckoning, but focuses on ballroom, after devastating losses

President Trump’s legacy is facing a moment of reckoning following sweeping Democratic wins in the House and the Senate that will impact the trajectory of the last two years of his presidency.

Despite his efforts to mobilize his normally loyal political base, the coalition that sent Trump to the White House in 2024 fell apart Tuesday evening. The result was nationwide Democratic wins including in red strongholds like South Carolina and Texas.

Trump argued his party underperformed because he was not on the ballot, but many Republicans say the losses are indicative of the president’s loosening grip on the party.

“It’s definitely going to leave a mark,” said Marc Short, Trump’s former legislative director during his first administration, referring to Tuesday’s massive Republican defeats.

“I think other presidents have had significant midterm defeats and have still had a strong historical record, but I think there’s no doubt it was a pretty clear and loud repudiation of what the last two years have been.”

Additionally, Republicans warn that Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate could pose a major roadblock for the president’s agenda.

As of Wednesday evening, Democrats had a 54-44 majority over Republicans in the Senate, while Democrats led Republicans 249-153 seats in the House.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), whose state narrowly avoided the blue wave, offered a dire assessment of his party’s future during a press conference Wednesday.

“This is close to an extinction-level event for Republicans,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis predicted in Tuesday night social media post that the chances of confirming a conservative successor to Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, if they stepped down in the next two years, would be “zero.” The governor argued that those chances would remain low during a “hypothetical GOP admin” in 2029 because the party would not be able to win enough seats in the Senate.

In his first public appearance after the landslide, Trump spent most of his time talking about the details of his under-construction ballroom. The president signed the last beam installed in the structure, in what his Interior secretary called a celebratory day.

The president also discussed his beautification projects at the White House and around Washington, D.C.

“I’m doing it because the White House is the ultimate symbol of America. It’s got to be pristine. It’s got to be perfect,” Trump said.

The president took several questions from reporters on the midterms, the Iran war, and working with Democrats in the new Congress. However, he kept returning his focus to the construction site.

Wednesday’s event marked the second time this week Trump delivered remarks to talk about his beautification projects in Washington. On the Monday before Election Day, the president delivered remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to talk about renovations.

“This rout makes clear that a legacy is not built with ballrooms and gilded vanity projects — in fact, they send the opposite message to hardworking Americans,” said John Ullyot, former deputy assistant to Trump during his first administration and author of “The President Deserves Better.”

“To forge a true legacy in his final two years, Trump should replace his cadre of yes-men with competent leaders who aren’t afraid to give frank advice and help him work across the aisle to get important things done,” he continued.

Ullyot was moved out of a communications role in the Pentagon early this year.

Trump appeared to rule out a Cabinet shake-up in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, saying the midterm election losses did not have anything to do with his Cabinet secretaries.

“I’ve been doing a lot of great things for a long time,” he said. “It’s just a point in time. Just a point in time. Just the way it is. There was a mood in the air, I guess.”

In a statement to The Hill, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said Trump’s Cabinet would continue working to deliver his agenda.

“As the President has said, he’s willing to work with anyone to continue delivering victories for hardworking Americans. If Democrats choose to pursue sham investigations and radical left policies, they are choosing to work against the American people,” she said.

Ahead of the midterms, questions swirled about potential staff and Cabinet shake-ups if the GOP lost big, which is not unusual in administrations after a poor midterm performance.

“Obama lost nearly as badly in 2010, and it doesn’t seem to have tarnished his [legacy]. Trump has 2 years to work on his legacy. Not nearly as long as Obama (who had 6, including a successful 2012 re-elect) but still time,” said Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff during his first administration.

Short said he was unsure whether Republicans had reached “the low point” yet.

“There’s a lot of healing that we have to do and there could be even more divisions inside of our team about the pathway forward,” he said. “I’m probably not thinking it’s going to boomerang around as quickly as 2028 for us.”