Trump’s Kennedy Center and ballroom fixations are political malpractice for the GOP | CNN Politics

Republicans are facing a potentially ugly 2026 midterm election in less than three months. And nobody seems to be able — or perhaps even cares to try — to prevail upon President Donald Trump to mitigate the damage. Two recent developments are a case in point. On Friday, Trump appealed to the Supreme Court to be able to continue building his coveted ballroom — which Americans already don’t like. And the day before, the president and his handpicked board at the Kennedy Center tried to put Trump’s name on the building – again. Both moves suggest Trump remains preoccupied with his self-gratification and glorification, even though it’s increasingly likely to come at the expense of his party. After a federal judge rejected the previous attempt to rebrand the center as the “Trump Kennedy Center” — forcing the administration to remove Trump’s name from the building’s façade — the board is now attempting a workaround. It voted Thursday to add an inscription below the Kennedy Center’s sign that says the complex was “Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Trump.” It also voted to rename the area around the center the “President Donald J. Trump Plaza,â