As polls indicate Republicans face a potentially difficult midterm election with control of both chambers of Congress hanging in the balance, President Donald Trump chose to spend the eve of the vote delivering a closing pitch centered largely on Washington infrastructure projects.
During a nearly hour-long press conference at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on Monday, accompanied by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Trump focused heavily on the condition of the newly reopened reflecting pool and various planned or ongoing construction initiatives across the nation’s capital. Describing the site, the president remarked, “This is a massive piece of pool. And it was treated with a lot of love and then it was treated with a lot of hate, and we’re going to stop the hate.”
Monday’s event marked the conclusion of a campaign season defined in part by unconventional remarks and scattered musings, including public comments regarding incumbent Republican Senator Jon Husted. Although Trump has spent recent months encouraging Americans to treat the midterm elections as a referendum on his own leadership, recent polling suggests his involvement may present challenges for GOP candidates contesting tight races.
While final outcomes will not become clear until polls close on Tuesday—and potentially longer in races facing close margins or delayed tabulation—Trump briefly addressed the challenging political landscape during his Monday appearance. Reflecting on historical trends, he acknowledged the bleak outlook for his party by noting, “For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot.”
