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On Wednesday, President Donald Trump drew attention to his White House ballroom project, less than a day after Republicans suffered significant losses in the 2026 midterm elections.
This prompted Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) to question whether the president understood voters' message.
Speaking to reporters at the ballroom construction site, Trump spent more than 20 minutes praising the project's design and security features without initially addressing his party's disappointing election results, The Guardian reported.
Trump highlighted the ballroom's limestone columns, 50-foot ceilings, marble floors and heavy construction beams. He also touted its capacity to accommodate more than 300 guests, along with a drone-resistant roof and a military-grade bunker.
Calling the project a "miracle," Trump credited his team for its progress and described the planned facility in glowing terms.
The president's appearance echoed his decision to focus on renovations to Washington's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during his final campaign address.
Trump has also promoted other capital projects, including a proposed triumphal arch, monument restorations and a new White House helipad.
Trump eventually addressed the midterm results after taking questions from reporters.
"Look, I'll get along probably with the Democrats, unless they want to be destructive, but I have the power of the veto," he said.
He also acknowledged that the Iran war likely contributed to Republican losses, conceding it was "largely true" that the conflict's impact on fuel prices hurt the party.
However, he maintained that the military campaign was worth the economic consequences.
Democrats regained control of both chambers of Congress and won several gubernatorial races. They also defeated Republicans in competitive Senate contests across traditionally red states, including South Carolina, Texas, Kansas and North Carolina.
Earlier in the day, Trump took to Truth Social to tout another record high for the stock market, writing, "Stock Market just hit another Record High."
Sharing footage of Trump's ballroom remarks, Lieu criticized the president for focusing on the renovation instead of confronting the GOP's electoral setback.
"I'm beginning to think Trump doesn't understand the message the American people sent to him and the GOP last night," Lieu wrote.
Meanwhile, Dow futures rose 139 points, or 0.26%, to 53,642.00, while S&P 500 futures fell 9 points, or 0.12%, to 7,711.50 and Nasdaq 100 futures declined 231.75 points, or 0.81%, to 28,335.00 as of 8:35 p.m. EST.
In commodities, WTI crude oil fell 0.85% to $87.37 per barrel, while Brent crude declined 0.64% to $94.01 per barrel.
The national average price of regular gasoline is $4.1239 per gallon, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA). The average diesel price stands at $6.2748 per gallon, while E85 averages $3.2137 per gallon.
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