Trump Closing Midterm Pitch: 15 Minutes on the Reflecting Pool, Then 'We Have to Keep Our Congress Strong, Free'
In his final scheduled speech before Tuesday's vote, the president opened with his renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, joked about renaming it after himself, then called the midterms 'the most important election, I believe, in our lifetime' and renewed a $5,000 payout pledge if Republicans hold Congress.
President Donald Trump delivered his closing midterm pitch on Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool - and spent its first stretch on the pool itself. In remarks billed as his closing argument before Tuesday's election, Trump did not reference the election until about 22 minutes into the speech, USA TODAY reported; he first discussed his administration's renovation of the Reflecting Pool for more than 15 minutes, displaying before-and-after photographs. 'And by the way, we resurfaced the granite. This granite was all resurfaced,' he said. 'We've now fixed all the piping, it's in great shape.' He joked that he was renaming it the 'Trump Reflecting Pool' - 'We'll announce that some time tomorrow. I'm sure that Secretary Doug Burgum will have a lot of fun in announcing that. Now I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding. Please don't report it.'
When he pivoted, the pitch was the stakes. Trump called Tuesday's midterm election 'the most important election, I believe, in our lifetime,' and said, 'The Democrat Party has nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history. There's never been anything like what we're seeing.' Of the prospect of Democrats taking Congress, he said: 'We can't let that happen. We have to keep our Congress strong, free.' He closed the passage with: 'So, we'll defend our country, our culture, and our heritage for generations to come. We're going to keep it the way it is. We're going to make it better and just.' Tuesday's elections determine who controls Congress for the final two years of Trump's term.
The New York Post reported that Trump also revived his pledge to give voters $5,000 apiece if Republicans retain Congress, celebrating a steep drop in oil prices, low unemployment and falling crime as he defended his record. He was candid about the calendar: he said he hoped voters would do 'the right thing,' but acknowledged history is not on his side - 'For some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot' - noting the 29 rallies he held across the country. Palm Beach County voters hear the argument last on Tuesday itself: polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at assigned precincts.
