This week’s White House Report Card finds the nation and our graders split over President Donald Trump as he travels to Asia for back-to-back trade and economic meetings.
Driving the divide are the reactions to Trump’s swift removal of the East Wing to make room for a $350 million ballroom and his administration’s expanding military attacks on Venezuelan drug cartels.
Trump critics, especially in the liberal media, have exploded in anger over the demolition of the East Wing, claiming that it is a metaphor for his presidency. Supporters feel that the plans for an elegant ballroom are long overdue and that Trump, like past presidents, has every right to rehab the White House as he sees fit.
The media and some Capitol Hill lawmakers have also turned on Trump’s war on drug cartels in Venezuela, while supporters mock that criticism for defending the bad guys and not Americans being killed by imported fentanyl.
Conservative grader Jed Babbin applauded Trump’s week and ballroom plans. “It’s being paid for by Trump and private donors, so American taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill. Lefties are hugely upset by it but theirs is a reflexive response to anything Trump does,” he said.
Shock — the White House is still there @dcexaminer chief @hgurdon on the TDS Democrats who are at the stage of the boy crying wolf: 'Perhaps we should call the hyperinflated market for Trump scare stories the South Lawn Bubble.'https://t.co/QkwO8TWQij via @dcexaminer
— Paul Bedard (@SecretsBedard) October 24, 2025
Democratic pollster John Zogby condemned the ballroom and said that Congress should get to debate U.S. war plans in Venezuela before Trump takes action.
Jed Babbin
Grade: A-
It was another very good week for President Donald Trump and his team. He turned the U.N.’s maritime agency away from a ridiculous tax on carbon emissions, canceled trade negotiations with Canada for misrepresenting remarks by former President Ronald Reagan, and said that Ukraine could use long-range missiles to strike Russia and that further talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin were useless.
The United Nations’ International Maritime agency was about to impose a new tax on carbon emissions of ships, payable to the U.N., of course. The global warming scam is the biggest to ever have been perpetrated on the human race. Trump stepped in, saying that the U.S. would sanction any nation that voted for it. The U.N. backed off, tabling the idea for a year (or until Trump is out of office). How hard was it to do? It’s a piece of cake because Trump isn’t obeisant to the U.N. That should be a big lesson for his successors.
Trump may be, at long last, losing patience with Putin on Ukraine. He gave permission for Ukraine to use long-range missiles such as the U.K.’s “Storm Shadow” to strike inside Russia. He’d also decided against sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine which is generally okay after he gave permission for use of others.
Canada is now at the back of the line for trade negotiations. Ontario province used a much-edited clip of one of the Gipper’s remarks, causing them to appear to oppose Trump. Reagan didn’t say what was attributed to him.
And let’s not forget the new White House construction to build a 90,000 square-foot ballroom. It’s being paid for by Trump and private donors, so American taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill. Lefties are hugely upset by it but theirs is a reflexive response to anything Trump does.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (he’s not secretary of war until Congress makes massive changes to Titles 10 and 50 of the U.S. Code) has reportedly lost respect among many Pentagon generals and admirals. He seems to be a junior officer who thinks he knows better than all of them. Hegseth has done a lot of good by ridding the department of DEI policies and imposing physical fitness on the generals and admirals, but he’s still learning the big job.
John Zogby
Grade: F
As the old story of an optimistic child goes, “In this room filled with horse****, there’s gotta be a pony somewhere.” I don’t see a pony anywhere.
Inflation is back up to 3%, which is not awful but is definitely heading in the wrong direction. Some 40% cite the high cost of living as the top issue, and beef prices are soaring.
Moving from ponies to cattle, Trump has canceled trade talks with Canada over his beef about a critical TV ad from Ontario about tariffs.
The U.S. is engaged in a shooting war with Venezuela, which some folks will think is a good idea, but shouldn’t we the people and our elected representatives be discussing strategy and endgame about this? We have too much recent history of no strategy and no endgame.
The president has called the duly elected president of Colombia a ‘thug,’ and I can’t see how that helps matters.
Trump is doing ropa-dopa-ropa-dopa with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, and it is hard to get a sense of where that is going. One faux summit has been canceled already, and the president dissed the Ukrainian president right after their Oval Office meeting.
Israel’s Knesset voted to annex the West Bank while Vice President JD Vance was still in Israel, an act of profound disrespect. And “peacemakers” are already talking about developing a “good Gaza” and ignoring a “bad Gaza.”
Donald Trump Jr., the president’s son, was awarded a huge Pentagon drone contract.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, who took Trump to court, has been indicted for bank fraud. Clashes between ICE agents and protesters continue in Chicago and Los Angeles.
And, oh by the way, the entire East Wing of the White House is gone to make way for the most beautiful ballroom in the world. Maybe the pony was there?
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Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book is Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.
