When you're spending hundreds of millions on marble handrails and gilded ballrooms while voters worry about paying their bills, you might have an optics problem. That's the warning from David Axelrod, the former Obama strategist who knows a thing or two about political messaging.
The Marie Antoinette Comparison
Speaking on CNN's Erin Burnett OutFront Monday, Axelrod didn't mince words about President Donald Trump's focus on luxury renovations at the White House and John F. Kennedy Center. He invoked the French queen famous for allegedly suggesting peasants eat cake when they had no bread.
"I think this is a huge political problem for him," Axelrod said. "It's the Marie Antoinette thing that he's got going. That is a big political problem."
The twist here is that Trump himself won't be on the ballot in 2026. But his party will be, and Axelrod argues the president's behavior will shape how voters think about Republicans when they head to the polls for the midterms.
What We're Talking About: Gold, Marble, and Hundreds of Millions
Since taking office, Trump has been busy redecorating. The White House now features gold trim in the Oval Office, redesigned spaces including the Rose Garden and Palm Room, and plans for a new ballroom that could cost up to $400 million.
At the Kennedy Center, Trump replaced board members with allies, took over as board chair, and is pushing to rename the venue the "Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts." Because why have one name when you can have two?
"I mean, people are sitting around and thinking about how they're going to pay their bills, and he's posting stuff about how he's going to have marble handrails at the Kennedy Center. And he's posting marble pictures of his new marble Palm Room at the White House and so on," Axelrod explained. "And people are saying to themselves, 'What the hell does that have to do with me?'"
Bipartisan Frustration Builds
Last week, criticism came from across the political spectrum on X, with leaders questioning Trump's priorities while Americans face economic pressures.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) highlighted the marble armrests, gold sconces, and gilded ballroom, asking whose priorities were really being served in 2025.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) was more direct, condemning Trump for spending taxpayer money on luxury upgrades amid widespread financial struggles and saying the president doesn't care about ordinary people.
Even former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) called the spending arrogant, noting it ignores Americans' difficulties with healthcare and housing. He warned the optics could harm the Republican Party heading into the 2026 midterms.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) weighed in too, responding to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's post about the Kennedy Center renaming by saying, "Can't wait for the next President to overturn this on Day 1!"
Whether this becomes the political albatross Axelrod predicts remains to be seen, but the disconnect between marble renovations and kitchen table economics is hard to miss.