Trump 'deeply unfocused' on midterm woes: analysis

Donald Trump remains "deeply unfocused" on actual voter concerns as the GOP's midterm prospects continue to dim, according to a new analysis from MS NOW, and his recent decision regarding a controversial statue is another example of his actual priorities.

Writing for MS NOW on Thursday, journalist Hayes Brown broke down Trump's recent announcement that a statue of explorer Christopher Columbus would be installed on the grounds of the White House, delving into the statue's history and the president's questionable motivations for installing it. Above all, he concluded that the move continued to show Trump's disregard for addressing the issues voters actually care about.

The statue itself is a recreation of one that was previously damaged when it was thrown into Baltimore's Inner Harbor by protesters in the summer of 2020. The recreation was completed by the son of the original sculptor, based on 3D scans of the original. Trump had reportedly considered adding the statue and others to the White House grounds near the end of his first term as part of a proposed "National Garden of American Heroes," but the concept was abandoned when he lost his reelection bid.

In announcing the statue's move on Wednesday, the White House proclaimed Columbus to be a "hero." As Brown noted, Trump has maintained a consistent fixation on the reputation of Columbus, signing an executive order in October to bring Columbus Day "back from the ashes." The federal government had never stopped recognizing that holiday, with Trump's order mostly demoting the status of Indigenous Peoples Day. Speaking at a press briefing last month, Trump suggested that this move ought to endear him and the GOP to Italian-American voters in the midterms.

"Remember when you go to the voting booths, I reinstated Columbus Day," the president said. "That was an easy one, Christopher Columbus."

However, as Brown argued, this latest pro-Columbus move will not "materially" help anybody and will not sway many voters in a year when material conditions, like the cost of living, are the most pressing political issues. Trump's past comments claiming that "affordability" was a "scam" perpetuated against him by Democrats did little to sway voters, many of whom do not believe that he actually cares about the problems they face.

"Trump is nothing if not deeply transactional, even when the deal he’s offering makes sense to no one else. But despite his suggestion otherwise, it’s hard to see how the Columbus statue could sway the midterms," Brown wrote. "What it does is highlight how much focus Trump has dedicated to everything but materially helping Americans. Nobody will be better off once the statue is in place at the White House, but Trump clearly believes that a small number of people might feel better enough to vote for a Republican this fall."