In his last scheduled public speech before the election on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump began by talking at length about his efforts to renovate the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial and other sites in Washington.
On Monday afternoon, Trump stood in front of this water feature and stated, "Today, I am very pleased to announce that the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial is officially open." This reflecting pool had been closed off by fences for several months due to ongoing renovation work ordered by the president, which was plagued by continuous issues.
This nearly one-hour speech was originally expected to become Trump's "final statement" before the mid-term elections, before millions of voters cast their ballots on Tuesday to determine who will control the House of Representatives and the Senate in the next Congress.
However, as soon as Trump began, he spent over 20 minutes delivering a speech, which mainly focused on the reflecting pool, as well as his government's renovation work on other memorial facilities in the Washington area and the efforts to combat crime in the U.S. capital.
Trump said, "Now, this pool is better and more beautiful than ever before, and we are very proud of that." Subsequently, he repeated the unfounded claim again, stating that vandals were responsible for damaging the reflecting pool and delaying the repair process.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jennie Pirro, stated in court on July 31 that the damage was caused by a mistake during the installation by a contractor. Trump criticized Pirro for this statement and continued to claim that the perpetrators should be held responsible.
It was not until around the 23rd minute of his speech that Trump first explicitly mentioned the midterms.
As you all know, today is the last day before the mid-term elections. I believe these are the most important mid-term elections of our lifetime.
He said, "The Democratic Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous group of candidates in American history."
He praised the achievements of his government and specifically criticized several Democratic candidates, including Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for Senate in Michigan. He also reiterated his controversial claim that if the Republicans win, “everyone will receive $5,000.”
Trump said, "We must keep our Congress strong and free. America is ready. They are ready to vote. I hope they are ready to do the right thing."
However, like some of his recent speeches, Trump also seems to acknowledge that the Democrats have the advantage – at least from a historical trend perspective, the party to which the president belongs often performs poorly in mid-term elections.
For some reason, the current president cannot win in the midterms. But we have already worked very hard to try.
In the latter part of his speech, Trump continued to talk about the reflecting pool, as well as his plans to promote the construction of a large arch de triomphe in Washington and to build a promenade along the Potomac River.
He also stated that the government plans to build a "National Garden of American Heroes," which will include "statues of 250 to 500 great American heroes." He also mentioned the ongoing efforts to renovate a public golf course in Washington, a project that is facing legal challenges.
