The Hill reported this week that Republican officials, worried about the midterm elections and maintaining partisan control, have been “thrown off-balance” by, among other things, Donald Trump’s focus on “pet projects” instead of more meaningful national priorities.
The GOP concerns are understandable. Unfortunately for the party, however, the president is still adding new distractions to his list.
To be sure, the existing list is already remarkable. Trump’s plan for a massive “triumphal arch” near Arlington National Cemetery received new backing this week from the National Capital Planning Commission, which just happens to be stacked with White House loyalists; a federal appeals court is poised to hear arguments in a case involving his beloved ballroom vanity project; his newfound fixation on water fountains in the nation’s capital is advancing apace (he’s begun referring to them as “waterfalls” for some reason); and his rhetoric related to renovating the Reflecting Pool continues to get weirder, even as the project itself becomes more controversial.
And this is just from the last few days. It doesn’t include his UFC venue on the White House South Lawn, the no-bid contract to add gold coats to horse statues surrounding the Lincoln Memorial his White House helipad ambitions, his desire to turn the Eisenhower Executive Office Building into a giant white blob, his stated interest in renovating the White House Treaty Room, the “statue garden,” or the dozen or so additional renovation projects he’s prioritized in and around the White House complex.