Trump turns to White House ballroom as Democrats usher in his lame-duck era

After Republicans suffered sweeping midterm losses, the president is focused on his construction projects as Democrats prepare to challenge his agenda.

As Donald Trump officially enters the lame duck era, the U.S. president is quickly turning his attention back to his many construction projects in Washington, D.C., after Republicans suffered major losses in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

On Wednesday, the day after Democrats won back both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, Trump rushed in reporters to show off the progress of his $600 million White House ballroom.

“This has been a structure the likes of which has never been seen anywhere,” said Trump, who bragged about building its massive structure—which eclipses the size of the White House—in record time.

Trump’s return to what critics call “vanity projects” so soon after the midterm election reflects his tendency to prioritize what he sees as the beautification of the White House and the nation’s capital. That became clear when he used his final speech before Election Day to laud his renovations to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

It also marks a new chapter in which Trump appears to be focusing on the final two years of his presidency and the legacy he wants to leave behind.

But as Trump looks forward to completing his ballroom and building his Arch and other projects in his image, he faces a wave of political opposition coming in January when Democrats are sworn into power.

U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the likely next Speaker of the U.S. House, said on Wednesday that Democrats’ main priorities will be ending Trump’s war in Iran to bring down gas and energy costs, reversing cuts to Medicaid, restoring Obamacare subsidies, and eliminating the president’s tariffs.

“The overall grade of his presidency continues to be a failure. Truth be told, we’re now seeing the continued stages of a lame duck presidency by Donald Trump,” Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist and advisor to Jeffries and other Democrats, told theGrio.

Seawright says he’s also seeing “fractures in the MAGA bone” and believes more Republicans will be willing to “take a stand” against Trump after suffering major defeats.

For now, Trump has signaled that he is willing to work with Democrats for the good of the country. However, the president also threatened to exercise his veto power should Democratic majorities in the Congress deliver him legislation he deems to be “destructive.”

Seawright said the Republican Party and Trump will have to answer for not wanting to work with Democrats in a bipartisan way to “deliver financial relief” amid economic hardship.

He added, “If he takes that route, then he’s going to cause even more long-term damage to the Republican brand and the party.”