President Trump uses Reflecting Pool renovation spectacle to blast Democrats before midterms
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President Donald Trump spent about an hour at the Lincoln Memorial turning a discussion of the Reflecting Pool's refurbishment into a campaign rally, attacking Democratic candidates and urging voters to back Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
President Donald Trump delivered roughly 50 minutes of remarks at the Lincoln Memorial on the afternoon before the midterm election, using the stage to praise the recent renovation of the Reflecting Pool while once again whipping up fear and partisanship on behalf of Republican candidates. The president began by joking about renaming the pool after himself and then displayed photographs of corroded pipework, blaming the damage on the previous administration's handling of the historic water feature. He touted the new coating, the pool's “American flag blue” color, and the granite's durability, while also alleging that vandals had damaged an earlier renovation attempt.
"This was the joints that were here that we took out," Trump said, holding up a printout of the pipework.
After more than twenty minutes of self-congratulation, Trump pivoted to the election, calling the upcoming vote “the most important midterm in our lifetime.” He denounced Democratic candidates as “the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history” and singled out Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, falsely smearing him with accusations of ties to “jihadists and Muslim Brotherhood members.”
"The Democratic ticket includes jihadists and Muslim Brotherhood members," Trump asserted.
Trump also claimed that his administration had generated "$25 trillion in wealth" and that "$22.5 trillion is being invested in the United States right now," figures that have not been corroborated by official economic data.
Democratic officials answered with sharp criticism. Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said the party aims to "lower costs, root out corruption, end the chaos, and hold Trump and his rubber-stamp Republicans accountable." Former Obama-era National Security Council spokesperson Tommy Vietor described the speech as a "bad resistance lib joke come to life."
Recent polls show President Trump's approval rating in the low-30s percent range, while Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by double digits. Analysts note that the president's remarks came amid widespread concern about inflation, cost-of-living pressures, and the possibility of Republican losses in the House and Senate.