1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

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 Donald Trump to mitigate the damage. 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." It remains to be seen whether the moves will pass legal muster, but even if it turns out this is legal, that doesn't make it politically wise. And it epitomizes the political malpractice coming from the administration right now. Just consider the full scope of what's happening: With just 81 days until a 2026 election in which Republicans seem to be in trouble, the administration is working to slap the name of a living, criminal, incumbent president with record-low approval numbers on a prominent cultural institution, for the second time. Crucially, it's doing so even as Americans overwhelmingly say such efforts have gone too far, that Trump and his administration are focused on the wrong things and that he is too preoccupied with his personal gain hoovering up bribes, stealing taxpayer money, slapping his name and likeness on everything he can, and wrecking OUR White House.