Trump's Closing Argument Before the Midterms Was, for 22 Minutes, About a Reflecting Pool
In his only public remarks scheduled for the day before the vote, the president devoted the heart of his closing speech to pipes, granite and algae at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool — then turned, briefly, to the election that decides control of Congress.
President Donald Trump ended his midterm campaign on Monday with a closing argument unlike any in recent memory: standing on the National Mall with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool behind him, in an election dominated by voters' concerns about the economy, he spent more than 20 minutes talking about the pool. Reuters reported that in his only public remarks scheduled for Monday, the president discussed pipes, joints, caulking, granite resurfacing, algae and leaks at the belated reopening of the Washington reflecting pool, and did not reference the election until about 22 minutes into the speech, by USA Today's count.
The details came with photographs. 'We've now fixed all the piping, it's in great shape,' Trump said, describing what he called a 'tremendous algae problem' the project had solved, and noting that the granite had been resurfaced. He joked that he was renaming the pool the 'Trump Reflecting Pool' — 'We'll announce that some time tomorrow' — next to a sign announcing the pool was 'back, and more beautiful than ever.' Reuters noted he also ranged across the White House grass, his new Marine One helipad, a golf course and a planned triumphal arch that faces a court challenge, alongside his administration's work cleaning statues and fountains across Washington and reducing crime in the capital.
When the speech did turn to Tuesday, it turned sharply. 'When you vote, remember: a party that hates America cannot be allowed to rule over the people who built our country,' Trump said, and he warned that Democrats had nominated an extreme slate of candidates. The remarks closed out a campaign blitz of roughly 28 rallies over the final three weeks in battleground states and districts, and the president's Election Eve was not finished: he said he intends to appear on Fox News' Hannity program tonight, and his schedule includes virtual rallies for Republican candidates, the BBC's live coverage reported.
The contrast the wires drew was with the other party's closing problem. While Trump talked construction, Democrats spent Monday containing a rift in Michigan's closely fought Senate race after Representative Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary, switched to backing Republican Mike Rogers — a race Reuters described as critical to Democratic hopes of ending the Republicans' 53-47 Senate majority. By Tuesday night, voters will have rendered the verdict both closing arguments were aimed at: who controls Congress for the final two years of Trump's term.
