WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s obsession with reshaping the nation’s capital in his grandiose and gaudy aesthetic isn’t sitting well with some Republican lawmakers, who wish he’d pay more attention to the needs of regular people outside the Beltway who are struggling with high prices.

The GOP’s hopes of averting disaster in November’s midterm elections hinge on reminding voters about their economic accomplishments over the past year, including last year’s tax cuts.

Trump, however, seems to be more interested in slapping his name on federal properties, adding gold fixtures to the White House, and even building a 250-foot “Arc de Trump” near the Lincoln Memorial that’s modeled after the Napoleonic arch in Paris.

“We need to be sure we make the main thing, the main thing. And there may be too many distractions,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said in an interview with HuffPost this week when asked about Trump’s Washington, D.C., renovations.

“It’s a matter of prioritization,” added Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). “Some of these optics just make no sense.”

Although Trump has made several trips across the country to tout his economic policies, it’s the former real estate mogul’s construction projects that have drawn major, and often disparaging, headlines, threatening to undermine his “Make America Affordable Again” messaging. Critics, for example, have had an all-too-easy time highlighting Trump’s focus on building grand ballrooms in Washington instead of addressing affordability concerns, the issue that helped him win the 2024 presidential election.

“Americans ought to be pretty aghast that Donald Trump is spending these millions of dollars on vanity projects when they are struggling to pay the electricity bills and rent and put food on the table,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). “He’s out of touch with everyday Americans, and these colossal, oversized buildings or monuments are simply a service of vanity.”

In addition to the planned arch, Trump is closing the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for two years so it can undergo renovations. The announcement came amid backlash from artists opposed to changes he’s already made at the nation’s premier arts venue, including putting his name above JFK’s on the building’s facade without approval from Congress.

The decision to close the center for such a lengthy time also surprised GOP lawmakers, who included funding for repairs to the Kennedy Center in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill.

“It was my understanding the renovations are already underway and going well, so I don’t think that was anticipated when we provided the money,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told HuffPost.

“I was surprised by it,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). “I did see he’s not gonna knock the building down, which, I don’t think that would be very good.”

Last fall, Trump demolished the East Wing of the White House to make room for a massive $400 million ballroom that he said would be paid for by corporate donations. He replaced the lawn in the Rose Garden, which was designed by former first lady Jackie Kennedy, with a patio reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Trump also made substantial changes to the White House itself, covering nearly all the walls in the Oval Office with gold inlay, redecorating the Lincoln Bathroom and installing a “Walk of Fame” along the Colonnade with plaques mocking his Democratic predecessors.

Trump has put his name on other federal properties in Washington, including the United States Institute of Peace. There are plans in the works to name a new terminal at Dulles International Airport after him. And it seems he also has his eyes on redeveloping the city’s three public golf courses.

The White House maintains that all these projects will be funded entirely by private donations rather than taxpayer funds. But some Republicans worry about the message they send to voters struggling with the cost of living, including health insurance premiums that soared after the GOP allowed enhanced Obamacare subsidies for millions of Americans to expire at the beginning of the year.

“We’re being told that, look, we don’t have enough money for health care or otherwise,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told HuffPost when asked about Trump’s redevelopment projects.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), meanwhile, defended Trump’s focus on renovating Washington’s landmarks.

“Trump’s a builder,” Johnson said. “I think when all’s said and done, people will appreciate what he’s done.”

Polls have shown a major erosion in Trump’s political standing, even among independent voters. An NPR/PBS News/Marist survey released Thursday found that just 36% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, while 59% disapproved. Some 54% of voters said the White House should primarily focus on lowering prices, including 58% of independents.

Trump has put forward several populist economic proposals, but they’ve gone nowhere due to opposition from traditional free-market conservatives on Capitol Hill. Instead, GOP lawmakers are betting that Americans will appreciate the benefits from Trump’s tax policies and turn out to the polls to help defend their narrow congressional majorities despite signs of a coming blue wave this year.

“He’s put forward a very bold agenda I’d like to see us act on, like capping credit card interest rates, capping the price of prescription drugs. I mean, that’s great stuff,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. “I don’t detect enormous amounts of enthusiasm for that among my colleagues. I wish there were, because I think that would make a tremendous difference.”