(AFP) – Democrats on Monday launched a sharp new political offensive against Donald Trump’s White House ballroom, casting Republicans as out-of-touch allies of a president focused on “vanity projects” while Americans struggle with rising costs. The unusually aggressive messaging campaign offered an early glimpse of how the minority party hopes to frame the final stretch before November’s midterm elections — as a referendum on affordability, presidential excess, and Republican loyalty to Trump.
In a letter to his members ahead of a looming budget showdown, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to force Republicans into politically painful votes over a proposed $1 billion security allocation tied to Trump’s planned ballroom project. “At a time when Americans can’t make ends meet, Republicans say ‘Let them eat cake’ — and then hand Trump a billion dollars to build a ballroom to serve it in,” Schumer wrote.
Republicans included the money in a sweeping $72 billion package designed to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol after months of Democratic obstruction in protest over the agencies’ tactics. Trump has repeatedly said that the cost of the ballroom — initially proposed at $200 million but now doubled to $400 million — is being met by private donors, including his wealthy supporters and a slew of corporations. The new legislation would provide $1 billion in federal funding toward Secret Service security upgrades connected to the ballroom project, including above-ground and underground protections.
The White House has argued the heavily fortified East Wing expansion is necessary following last month’s attempted assassination of Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. But Democrats have seized on the gilded ballroom as a potent political symbol. “Americans do not need a ballroom. They need relief,” Schumer wrote, accusing Republicans of ignoring rising costs for groceries, gasoline, housing, and health care while prioritizing Trump’s ambitions.
Schumer branded the ruling party’s lawmakers “Ballroom Republicans” — a phrase Democrats are expected to amplify in the months ahead as they try to portray their opponents as detached from the economic concerns of ordinary voters. The Democratic leader pledged to use Senate procedures to challenge the funding, including procedural objections before the Senate parliamentarian and a marathon series of politically difficult amendment votes during debate on the package later this month. “With six months until the midterm elections, vulnerable Republicans are getting nervous — and they should be,” Schumer wrote.
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