'We'll Defend Our Country': Trump Delivers His Closing Midterm Argument From the Reflecting Pool
The president spent his first 22 minutes on the Reflecting Pool's renovations — then turned to the election he called the most important of his lifetime, with control of Congress for his final two years at stake on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump delivered his final scheduled speech before Tuesday's midterm elections on Monday afternoon from the National Mall, in remarks the White House billed as his closing argument — and he spent the first portion of it on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool behind him.
Trump discussed his administration's renovations of the pool in detail for more than 15 minutes, displaying before-and-after photographs, and did not reference the election until about 22 minutes into the speech, according to USA TODAY's live report. "We've now fixed all the piping, it's in great shape," Trump said of the pool. He also joked that he was renaming it the "Trump Reflecting Pool" — "I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding. Please don't report it."
When he turned to Tuesday's vote, the tone changed. Trump called the midterm election "the most important election, I believe, in our lifetime," portrayed Democratic candidates as extremists, and urged his supporters to keep Republican majorities. "We have to keep our Congress strong, free," he said. "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." USA TODAY noted that Trump accused Democrats of being communists without evidence in the remarks — a charge he has repeated through the closing weeks of the campaign.
The speech closed a three-week stretch in which Trump appeared in battleground states and districts where Republicans face competitive challengers, while Vice President JD Vance campaigned near the Michigan border on Monday. What is at stake on Tuesday is plain: the elections will determine which party controls Congress for Trump's final two years in office, and with it the fate of his political agenda. Florida's polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
