That $60 Million UFC Birthday Bash Can’t Hide Trump’s Crumbling Political Power

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(SeaPRwire) –   By: Gavin Thorne

Donald Trump turns 80 in office with one goal. He needs to prove he’s still the all-powerful leader he claims to be. He’s dumping $60 million into a UFC spectacle on the White House South Lawn to sell that image. Every high-profile sporting appearance, every big rally announcement ties back to this one push. He wants to kill any whisper that age or political trouble has weakened him. But all this spectacle just draws more attention to the problems he can’t hide.

Trump appeared at the New York NBA Finals earlier this week. The crowd at Madison Square Garden booed him loudly when he showed on the big screen. He claims he heard mostly cheers. He planned a 250th US birthday rally on the National Mall only after all musical acts pulled out. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll puts his approval at 35%, with 63% disapproving. He still posts online claiming he “ages in reverse” and calls himself the strongest leader.

He can’t end the unpopular war with Iran. More Republicans inside the party are starting to push back against his ideas. Support outside his loyal base is shrinking fast. Privately, he’s getting more frustrated, per a source close to the White House. He already publicly lashed out at his own advisers over a bad Iowa gubernatorial endorsement. Inflation sits at a three-year high, and his offhand “I love the inflation” comment still haunts him.

We’re months out from the November midterm elections that will decide Congress control. Republicans outside the White House are panicking over Trump’s low polling. They expect substantial losses up and down the ballot this cycle. If Democrats take back even one chamber, Trump’s power in Washington will erode further. The White House pushes back, pointing to two incumbent senators he beat in primaries to prove he’s a GOP kingmaker. Trump has surrounded himself with loyalists who back every whim, a sharp shift from his first term.

Age questions hang over every public appearance he makes. He’s only the second sitting US president to turn 80 while in office. His team works overtime to shut down any questions about his health. They post photos of reporters with closed eyes to counter claims he dozes off at events. The White House communications director once bragged Trump worked until 9:30 PM on a Saturday. Most voters see weakness, not strength, and say he hasn’t delivered on core campaign promises.

The 2024 midterms will turn Trump’s lingering political weakness into a permanent lame-duck status.

Author bio: Gavin Thorne, investigative journalist tracking special interests and legislative affairs in Washington, D.C.