Trump Delivers His Closing Midterm Case at the Reflecting Pool, 29 Rallies In
The president closed his midterm blitz Monday at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, spending his first 24 minutes on Washington construction before defending his record and reviving a $5,000-per-voter pledge - the final national pitch as Lee County voters head to the polls Tuesday.
FORT MYERS - President Donald Trump delivered the closing argument of his midterm campaign Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, the last stop of a 29-rally blitz ahead of Tuesday's elections, according to live coverage by USA Today and the New York Post. This station previewed the 2 p.m. Eastern speech Monday morning; the delivered version opened somewhere few expected - with plumbing.
Trump spent roughly his first 24 minutes on Washington construction and the Reflecting Pool renovation beside him, saying, "We've now fixed all the piping, it's in great shape," and joking that he wanted to rename the landmark the "Trump Reflecting Pool," the Post reported. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also addressed the crowd. The president then turned to his record, pointing to a steep drop in oil prices on Monday, low unemployment, and his administration's record on crime and immigration.
He revived his pledge of $5,000 per voter if Republicans retain Congress for what he calls a coming "golden age," and he attacked Democrats in the campaign's sharpest language: "The Democrats want to blow all of this up by electing communists and jihadists. We can't let that happen. We have to keep our Congress strong, free." He also acknowledged the historical headwind, saying, "For some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot."
Trump attacked Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed by name and repeated his allegation that Alaska Democrats conspired to place a misleading namesake on that state's Senate ballot - a claim this station covered Monday and that Alaska Democrats dispute. For Southwest Florida, the speech lands the night before Lee and Collier voters decide a full Florida slate; polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and this station's Election Day coverage continues through the night.
