Trump Gives His Closing Midterm Pitch Monday at 2 P.M. at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

President Donald Trump is making his closing pitch of the midterm elections on Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, pushing a problem-plagued pet project back into the spotlight on the eve of Election Day, the Associated Press reported. Trump is scheduled to speak at 2 p.m., with road closures around the Lincoln Memorial beginning at 6 a.m. and expanding at 1 p.m., FOX 5 DC reported, and U.S. Park Police urged motorists to find alternate routes. The White House formally announced the Monday speech after Trump told reporters on Sunday that speaking at the site would "show how beautiful it is" — adding, "We might hold it tomorrow or something."

The setting is itself a campaign story. Trump's Reflecting Pool project began in April with a promise to fix the landmark in mere days for about $1.5 million; the no-bid project eventually grew to 10 times that amount, ran nearly three months behind schedule, and was drained for repairs in mid-July after its "American-flag blue" liner began peeling and algae blooms spread, the AP reported. Contractors finished warranty repairs on the peeling liner on Oct. 2, and although the pool has been refilled, the National Park Service says the area, including surrounding walkways and grass medians, will stay fenced off until Nov. 21. Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for the damage, although the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington previously put the problems down to shoddy workmanship, and a vandalism charge against former Olympian David Hearn was dropped and later permanently dismissed.

The speech caps a month-long blitz of more than 25 rallies in largely conservative areas, including Sunday's about-face weekend rallies in Iowa and Kansas. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority and a narrow edge in the House; losing either chamber would let Democrats block Trump's agenda for his final two years and launch investigations. More than 52 million people have already voted in person or by mail, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab — a record for a midterm, up from nearly 46 million before Election Day in 2022. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are on Tuesday's ballot.