Week in Politics: Trump's face on the coin; reshaping the capital; the midterms

President Trump is the first living president to have his face on a coin. He's also reshaping Washington in his image, and working to influence midterm elections.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Donald Trump became the first living U.S. president to have his face on a coin, released this week the same week at the U.S. Supreme Court permitted his White House ballroom construction to go ahead while lower court litigation continues, though Chief Justice John Roberts dissented. He said the project is probably illegal without congressional approval. NPR senior contributor Ron Elving joins us now. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott. SIMON: It's not just about the ballroom. The Trump administration is also forging ahead with construction of his 250-foot arch. He threatens to demolish the Kennedy Center to construct an outdoor amphitheater. What do you make of all this activity to remake official Washington, D.C., so quickly? ELVING: It's obviously a high priority for President Trump to remake the nation's capital, largely in his own image or his own style. He gave some insight into his thinking on Friday, when he said he had to get these things done right away because he couldn't count on his successor or successors to do it. So he continues to prioritize the ballroom and the arch, an arc de Trump that would be larger than Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He's also fixated on the Kennedy Center remodel. The senator - the center, rather - is named for JFK, whose face is on the half dollar. You mentioned Trump was the first to have that honor while still alive. Many experts say that violates the law. Meanwhile, also this week, Trump called the war on Iran, quote, "small potatoes," unquote, and said the Strait of Hormuz might be renamed for him. But gas is up above $4 a gallon, Scott, and diesel hit a record high this week, inching towards $6, so not everyone is feeling the triumph. SIMON: President Trump also wants to seem to put his name on the midterm elections, although, obviously, he's not on the ballot as a candidate. Will that necessarily help Republican candidates? ELVING: No. It depends on your state and district and your reliance on hardcore Trump-supporting Republicans. If you're counting on those voters, you're eager to have Trump front and center. But if you're more concerned about independent voters, then Trump is just as likely to be a liability. Now, candidates in a midterm generally want the president's backing in the primaries and as much fundraising help as they can get. But a visit from a president who's polling below 40% approval is not a big plus in a swing state or district. SIMON: Midterms are just two months out. There's some uncertainty about how elections are going to be conducted. The Missouri Supreme Court threw out that state's redrawn map on Thursday. What effect do you think this might have? ELVING: This was the first effort that Trump and his party made to put a thumb on the scale for this midterm - a concerted effort around the country to redraw the district maps in half a dozen states or so where they had a friendly governor and legislature. Democrats came back with redrawn maps in California, but on balance, the new maps should help Trump and his party considerably despite the disappointment in Missouri. Still, if the current trend in national polls holds up, there may be just too much of a tide for the gerrymander wall to hold. The bigger issue right now is whether the efforts of the Trump administration will succeed in restricting and complicating voting by mail. Actually, people that vote that way could be prevented or see their votes not count. A federal judge on Friday renewed her earlier ruling against those efforts by Trump and company, and the administration has already appealed, so we'll be watching that closely the next two months. SIMON: Finally, Gloria Steinem left us this week - a founder of modern feminism, noted for her writing, speaking. She was a cultural figure, also a political figure. What do you see as her role in history? ELVING: She was a key driver of the biggest cultural and social empowerment of women since the era of the suffragettes. A cultural and social force that broke through to politics as well. She did not run for office, but she inspired countless women who did, and politics has never been the same. SIMON: NPR senior contributor Ron Elving. Thanks so much. ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST: Donald Trump became the first living U.S. president to have his face on a coin, released this week the same week at the U.S. Supreme Court permitted his White House ballroom construction to go ahead while lower court litigation continues, though Chief Justice John Roberts dissented. He said the project is probably illegal without congressional approval. NPR senior contributor Ron Elving joins us now. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott. SIMON: It's not just about the ballroom. The Trump administration is also forging ahead with construction of his 250-foot arch. He threatens to demolish the Kennedy Center to construct an outdoor amphitheater. What do you make of all this activity to remake official Washington, D.C., so quickly? ELVING: It's obviously a high priority for President Trump to remake the nation's capital, largely in his own image or his own style. He gave some insight into his thinking on Friday, when he said he had to get these things done right away because he couldn't count on his successor or successors to do it. So he continues to prioritize the ballroom and the arch, an arc de Trump that would be larger than Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He's also fixated on the Kennedy Center remodel. The senator - the center, rather - is named for JFK, whose face is on the half dollar. You mentioned Trump was the first to have that honor while still alive. Many experts say that violates the law. Meanwhile, also this week, Trump called the war on Iran, quote, "small potatoes," unquote, and said the Strait of Hormuz might be renamed for him. But gas is up above $4 a gallon, Scott, and diesel hit a record high this week, inching towards $6, so not everyone is feeling the triumph. SIMON: President Trump also wants to seem to put his name on the midterm elections, although, obviously, he's not on the ballot as a candidate. Will that necessarily help Republican candidates? ELVING: No. It depends on your state and district and your reliance on hardcore Trump-supporting Republicans. If you're counting on those voters, you're eager to have Trump front and center. But if you're more concerned about independent voters, then Trump is just as likely to be a liability. Now, candidates in a midterm generally want the president's backing in the primaries and as much fundraising help as they can get. But a visit from a president who's polling below 40% approval is not a big plus in a swing state or district. SIMON: Midterms are just two months out. There's some uncertainty about how elections are going to be conducted. The Missouri Supreme Court threw out that state's redrawn map on Thursday. What effect do you think this might have? ELVING: This was the first effort that Trump and his party made to put a thumb on the scale for this midterm - a concerted effort around the country to redraw the district maps in half a dozen states or so where they had a friendly governor and legislature. Democrats came back with redrawn maps in California, but on balance, the new maps should help Trump and his party considerably despite the disappointment in Missouri. Still, if the current trend in national polls holds up, there may be just too much of a tide for the gerrymander wall to hold. The bigger issue right now is whether the efforts of the Trump administration will succeed in restricting and complicating voting by mail. Actually, people that vote that way could be prevented or see their votes not count. A federal judge on Friday renewed her earlier ruling against those efforts by Trump and company, and the administration has already appealed, so we'll be watching that closely the next two months. SIMON: Finally, Gloria Steinem left us this week - a founder of modern feminism, noted for her writing, speaking. She was a cultural figure, also a political figure. What do you see as her role in history? ELVING: She was a key driver of the biggest cultural and social empowerment of women since the era of the suffragettes. A cultural and social force that broke through to politics as well. She did not run for office, but she inspired countless women who did, and politics has never been the same. SIMON: NPR senior contributor Ron Elving. Thanks so much. ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Donald Trump became the first living U.S. president to have his face on a coin, released this week the same week at the U.S. Supreme Court permitted his White House ballroom construction to go ahead while lower court litigation continues, though Chief Justice John Roberts dissented. He said the project is probably illegal without congressional approval. NPR senior contributor Ron Elving joins us now. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott. SIMON: It's not just about the ballroom. The Trump administration is also forging ahead with construction of his 250-foot arch. He threatens to demolish the Kennedy Center to construct an outdoor amphitheater. What do you make of all this activity to remake official Washington, D.C., so quickly? ELVING: It's obviously a high priority for President Trump to remake the nation's capital, largely in his own image or his own style. He gave some insight into his thinking on Friday, when he said he had to get these things done right away because he couldn't count on his successor or successors to do it. So he continues to prioritize the ballroom and the arch, an arc de Trump that would be larger than Napoleon's Arc de Triomphe in Paris. He's also fixated on the Kennedy Center remodel. The senator - the center, rather - is named for JFK, whose face is on the half dollar. You mentioned Trump was the first to have that honor while still alive. Many experts say that violates the law. Meanwhile, also this week, Trump called the war on Iran, quote, "small potatoes," unquote, and said the Strait of Hormuz might be renamed for him. But gas is up above $4 a gallon, Scott, and diesel hit a record high this week, inching towards $6, so not everyone is feeling the triumph. SIMON: President Trump also wants to seem to put his name on the midterm elections, although, obviously, he's not on the ballot as a candidate. Will that necessarily help Republican candidates? ELVING: No. It depends on your state and district and your reliance on hardcore Trump-supporting Republicans. If you're counting on those voters, you're eager to have Trump front and center. But if you're more concerned about independent voters, then Trump is just as likely to be a liability. Now, candidates in a midterm generally want the president's backing in the primaries and as much fundraising help as they can get. But a visit from a president who's polling below 40% approval is not a big plus in a swing state or district. SIMON: Midterms are just two months out. There's some uncertainty about how elections are going to be conducted. The Missouri Supreme Court threw out that state's redrawn map on Thursday. What effect do you think this might have? ELVING: This was the first effort that Trump and his party made to put a thumb on the scale for this midterm - a concerted effort around the country to redraw the district maps in half a dozen states or so where they had a friendly governor and legislature. Democrats came back with redrawn maps in California, but on balance, the new maps should help Trump and his party considerably despite the disappointment in Missouri. Still, if the current trend in national polls holds up, there may be just too much of a tide for the gerrymander wall to hold. The bigger issue right now is whether the efforts of the Trump administration will succeed in restricting and complicating voting by mail. Actually, people that vote that way could be prevented or see their votes not count. A federal judge on Friday renewed her earlier ruling against those efforts by Trump and company, and the administration has already appealed, so we'll be watching that closely the next two months. SIMON: Finally, Gloria Steinem left us this week - a founder of modern feminism, noted for her writing, speaking. She was a cultural figure, also a political figure. What do you see as her role in history? ELVING: She was a key driver of the biggest cultural and social empowerment of women since the era of the suffragettes. A cultural and social force that broke through to politics as well. She did not run for office, but she inspired countless women who did, and politics has never been the same. SIMON: NPR senior contributor Ron Elving. Thanks so much. ELVING: Thank you, Scott. Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

Donald Trump became the first living U.S. president to have his face on a coin, released this week the same week at the U.S. Supreme Court permitted his White House ballroom construction to go ahead while lower court litigation continues, though Chief Justice John Roberts dissented. He said the project is probably illegal without congressional approval. NPR senior contributor Ron Elving joins us now. Ron, thanks so much for being with us. RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott. SIMON: It's not just about the ballroom. The Trump administration is also forging ahead with construction of his 250-foot arch. He threatens to demolish the Kennedy Center to construct an outdoor amphitheater. What d