Trump acknowledges he is bracing for potential midterm defeat
“For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms,” President Trump said on Monday, closing out a monthlong campaign sprint in Washington by acknowledging he is bracing for potential defeat while urging voters to back Republican congressional candidates.
Trump spent the final day of the campaign making his closing pitch in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a landmark his administration has spent months trying to repair. For the first 20 minutes of his remarks, he did not mention the election at all, instead showing photos of the damaged pool to describe how crews resurfaced and re-caulked its granite and tackled the “tremendous algae” that had covered the water.
“Look, it is not an easy thing. The algae is brutal. It forms easily and I don’t think you’ll see too much,” Trump said, holding up a picture of the algae layered over the water. “The green, that’s not grass, that’s algae. It took over the entire pool.”
The renovation work has faced multiple hurdles since it began in April. Trump initially stated that contractors he knew would refinish the pool within weeks for roughly $1.5 million. Instead, the project wrapped up behind schedule at more than 10 times that cost after algae blooms and a peeling blue liner forced crews to drain it again in July. While Trump blamed vandals for the setbacks, federal prosecutors in Washington attributed the problems to shoddy workmanship.
Trump Cites Capital Projects as Tangible Results
Beyond the Reflecting Pool, Trump listed several other capital improvement projects during his remarks, arguing that the construction demonstrates how his administration delivers tangible results for the public. “Our country is strong, respected and prosperous once more and our capital is cleaner and safer and more spectacular than ever,” he said.
That focus drew sharp criticism from Democrats on the eve of the election. Ashley Schapitl, a former Biden Treasury official, posted on X that the remarks represented exactly what the median voter wanted to hear regarding capital improvements in the District of Columbia. Former President Obama similarly ridiculed Trump’s fixation on renovations during a rally the previous week, suggesting he should be on HGTV and comparing the modified White House interior to a setting where “Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Trump has consistently bristled at such criticism, maintaining that renovations help him relax and that he completes them quickly. Throughout his final campaign push, he promised $5,000 checks and brighter days ahead in rallies across mostly Republican states, portraying the midterms as the most important in a lifetime to prevent a radical agenda from taking hold in Washington.
Polls Predict Democratic Wave Before Tuesday Election
Heading into Tuesday, most polls predict a Democratic wave driven by voter backlash against Trump’s handling of the economy and a war in Iran. A New York Times/Siena University poll released Sunday indicated that Democrats are heavily favored to retake the House and lead in key Senate races, while showing Trump’s approval rating near historic lows. A separate NBC News poll released Sunday found nearly two-thirds of voters seek a change from the country’s current direction.
Early voting has already outpaced the last midterm election cycle, a trend that could spell trouble for Republicans. If Democrats secure control of both chambers, party leaders have vowed to use their congressional powers to investigate Trump and his family’s business dealings, focusing on alleged corruption and economic harm.
Speaking to Fox News on Sunday, Trump said that if Democrats win both chambers, he will become “Mr. Veto” and make deals with them, though he hopes he will not have to worry about that outcome. As the campaign came to a close, the contrast between the political climate and private events was visible, following a weekend Halloween party at Mar-a-Lago where Trump showed off club members eating Alaskan king crab and caviar to reporters.