Trump Draws Marie Antoinette Comparisons As He Leans Into The Gilded Trappings Of The Presidency

WASHINGTON — President Trump had thing urgent to reside while flying backmost to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago property connected a caller Sunday.

It wasn’t nan Iran war, nor nan partial authorities shutdown complete Department of Homeland Security funding. He was focused connected a monumental rumor of a different kind, hoisting creator renderings of nan $400 cardinal White House ballroom he’s building, complete pinch hand-carved “top-of-the-line” Corinthian columns.

“I’m truthful engaged that I don’t person clip to do this. I’m fighting wars and different things,” Trump said earlier extensively detailing plans for “the top ballroom anyplace successful nan world.”

His divided attraction has go a Democratic constituent of onslaught and a interest for immoderate Republicans who interest he’s not spending capable clip connected issues that voters attraction astir about up of November’s midterm races.

The opposition was connected afloat show Thursday, when, arsenic Trump flew to Las Vegas to talk taxation cuts for Americans earning tips, his management was pushing up pinch different of his splashy projects: Plans to build a 250-foot Triumphal Arch adjacent nan Lincoln Memorial replete pinch a Lady Liberty-like statue and a brace of aureate eagles.

The president’s expertise to speak to nan concerns of moving group has ever seemed incongruous pinch his curriculum vitae arsenic a billionaire existent property developer. Yet his populist policies and emphasis connected nan economy during his 2024 run helped catapult him backmost to nan White House.

Republican strategist Rick Tyler noted that, erstwhile Trump first ran for president successful 2016, his wealthiness was a trading point.

“While different people, for illustration Mitt Romney, played down really rich | he was, Trump was giving free chopper rides astatine nan Iowa State Fair,” Tyler said. “People loved it.”

Still, Trump’s preoccupation pinch immoderate of nan gilded trappings of nan presidency, arsenic much Americans interest astir bills, has drawn accusations that he’s a modern-day Marie Antoinette.

“‘Fighting wars’ and surging state prices, yet Trump has clip to brag astir his billionaire backed ballroom,” Sen. Andy Kim, a New Jersey Democrat, responded connected X to Trump’s Air Force One presentation.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a imaginable 2028 statesmanlike hopeful, has been much nonstop successful comparing Trump to nan past queen earlier nan French Revolution, who has travel to embody royal opulence — moreover posting an AI-generated image of Trump’s look connected her assemblage connected societal media.

“TRUMP ‘MARIE ANTOINETTE’ SAYS, ‘NO HEALTH CARE FOR YOU PEASANTS, BUT A BALLROOM FOR THE QUEEN!’” Newsom wrote successful October 2025, astatine nan commencement of past fall’s 43-day authorities shutdown.

White House says Trump’s occurrence benefits each Americans

Asked astir opponents invoking Marie Antoinette, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said Trump “is going to spell down successful history arsenic nan astir successful and consequential president successful our lifetime.”

“His successes connected behalf of nan American group will beryllium imprinted upon nan cloth of America and will beryllium felt by each different White House that comes aft him,” Ingle said successful a statement.

The president faced akin critiques during his first term. But lately he’s been unabashed astir accusations he’s disconnected from Americans’ worries astir precocious costs, which could time off Republicans pinch an uphill conflict to clasp power of Congress.

Republicans person been loath to mobility Trump, though notably location has been small disapproval of a national judge’s ruling that activity connected nan task must extremity until it has legislature approval. The GOP-controlled House and Senate besides haven’t prioritized authorities to move nan ballroom task forward.

“I’m not overmuch into architecture,” Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said past fall.

About two-thirds of Americans said Trump is “out of touch” pinch nan concerns of astir group successful nan United States today, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll from February, though nan aforesaid percent said nan aforesaid astir nan Democratic Party.

Presidents are usually removed from voters, separated by layers of information and surrounded by adoring subordinates. In her book “Why Presidents Fail And How They Can Succeed Again,” Elaine Kamarck argues that presidents get excessively focused connected their ain governmental narratives alternatively than nan public’s concerns. Yet, erstwhile it comes to Trump, “All of this worldly is frankly unsocial to him.”

She pointed to nan ballroom arsenic good arsenic Trump’s different White House renovations, soon adding his signature to insubstantial rate and renaming nan Kennedy Center aft himself.

“It’s a reflection, I think, of his ain inheritance arsenic a businessman and personification who made his luck trading his name,” said Kamarck, who worked successful Bill Clinton’s White House.

While Trump focuses connected nan ballroom and different Washington projects, immoderate nationalist activity projects successful different parts of nan state person languished.

Joe Meyer, nan erstwhile politician of Covington, Kentucky, spent years pushing for captious improvements to nan Brent Spence Bridge connecting his municipality pinch Cincinnati, a task listed arsenic a apical national privilege making love backmost to Trump’s first administration.

Federal costs for improvements were approved nether President Joe Biden but held up by a Trump-ordered review. Work is now yet group to statesman later this year, though delays will apt limit creation options and slow nan project, Meyer said.

“The ballroom is Washington inside-baseball,” Meyer said. “The span is conscionable a wreck. It’s vexation that we’ve been dealing pinch forever.”

A $100 extremity and a aureate tractor

Trumpeting caller taxation deductions for tips, Trump staged ordering McDonald’s to nan Oval Office — which he has adorned pinch golden flourishes — and tipped nan grandma making nan transportation $100. When she described ample aesculapian bills from her husband’s crab treatments, Trump said she should bring him to an upcoming UFC conflict connected nan White House lawn.

When hundreds of farmers were invited to nan White House for an cultivation argumentation speech, they stood connected nan South Lawn beside a tractor that had been painted gold. It drizzled, but Trump stayed dry, addressing them from a covered second-floor balcony.

“You don’t mind rain,” nan president told nan farmers below.

He past flew to Miami for a convention of Saudi investors who, nan president noted, were excessively rich | to beryllium impressed by U.S. families scrounging to prevention up $5,000.

“I cognize they’re looking like, ‘What nan hellhole is $5,000?’” Trump joked. “Their shoes costs them much than $5,000.”

When asked successful February, meanwhile, for his connection to young group wanting to bargain a home, Trump replied: “Save a small longer. Wait a small longer.”

Members of nan Cabinet person besides fed nan cognition that Trump’s promised “ Golden Age ” whitethorn not beryllium arriving for everyone. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. advised Americans to bargain liver alternatively of beef.

“If you spell and bargain a steak, it’s still beautiful expensive. But if you bargain nan cheaper cuts, it’s awesome meat. And it is very, very affordable. Or liver, or, you know, each these alternatives,” he told podcast big Joe Rogan.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said group could still spend meals consisting of “a portion of chicken, a portion of broccoli, maize tortilla and 1 different thing.”

Texas-based Republican advisor Brendan Steinhauser said he thinks that Trump “can benignant of get distant with” building a ballroom because voters person travel to expect that from him arsenic a brash dealmaker and businessman.

But Steinhauser said he worries that melodramatic increases successful state prices and a perchance weakening system could resonate pinch voters. Ahead of nan midterms, Steinhauser said, Democrats could people points “trying to make it much astir Trump and his oligarch friends.”

Price and Weissert constitute for nan Associated Press. AP writers Linley Sanders successful Washington and Ali Swenson successful New York contributed to this report.