Trump Puts Washington Projects Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump used his final message to voters before a new Congress is chosen to talk mostly about repairs to a Washington pool and other projects, not the midterm elections. The crowd at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool numbered in the dozens, and his speech turned a public landmark into a stage for the president’s preferred subject: construction work he said he had carried out in the nation’s capital.

A Campaign Message About Concrete

Trump described rusty pipes, old joints, regraded rebar and what he called “tremendous algae” at the 2,000-foot-long pool. He invited an aide named Greg onto the stage to hold large color photographs, then joked that he would name the pool after himself.

The midterms got about 10 minutes of the address. Trump said, “We have a lot of great things planned for Washington. I could get into the nation, but for that, you don't have enough time.” He also acknowledged the usual headwind facing a sitting president’s party: “Usually whoever the sitting president is — Republican or Democrat, good or bad, good president, great president, bad — for some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms. But we gave this a very strong shot.”

He ended alone onstage, holding a photograph of the algae-clogged pool as a trumpet fanfare played. The spectacle came after interviews with voters in battleground states found no one naming the Reflecting Pool or another Washington project among their most important issues.

Trump had asked voters to treat the election as a referendum on him, telling them to pretend he was on the ballot. Many candidates in the tightest races, including in Texas and South Carolina, were candidates he had selected, often over other Republicans’ objections. He also ordered an unusual midterm convention in Texas centered on himself and his record.

Promises, Repairs and Blame

In April, Trump promised the pool repairs would take two weeks and cost $1.5 million. The blue liner began peeling before the July 4 deadline, algae blooms appeared, and the project took several more months and millions more dollars to complete. After completion, the lining began peeling again and the water turned green with algae, prompting another closure; the pool was later described as newly reopened.

Trump blamed the delays on vandals. The contractor and the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said shoddy workmanship was responsible. The dispute over who caused the failure followed a project whose budget and schedule had already expanded beyond Trump’s promise.

The pool wasn’t the only renovation occupying the president. Other projects included a proposed triumphal arch, a new helipad, a paved-over Rose Garden, driveway stone, a guest bathroom, colonnade decor, portico plaster work, two 100-foot flagpoles and plans to add more gold to the Oval Office. Aides have said Trump is happiest working on renovation projects, and Trump has said renovations relax him and don't take up a major portion of his time.

The Campaign Around the President

Allies had quietly tried to steer Trump toward tax cuts and efforts to create manufacturing jobs. He kept bringing up construction projects at nearly every speech, sometimes drawing muted reactions or objections. At a speech in Corinth, Mississippi, a protester shouted, “Shove that ballroom up your fat ass!” Trump responded to criticism from former President Barack Obama about the White House’s appearance by saying, “I can do it naturally. It's a natural thing.”

Republican operatives expected Trump to visit battleground states on the day before the midterms, but those plans were set aside as his voice grew raspier and he complained publicly about the pace. He held 28 rallies across the country since Oct. 1, ending with a Kansas rally where he said, “I've been doing a little too many of these.” His approval rating was 40% in the latest NBC News poll.

On Monday, Trump had no in-person rallies scheduled and planned instead to call into tele-rallies. The closing pitch was supposed to help Republicans make their case to voters. Instead, the president stood with a photograph of a troubled public pool, while the candidates and voters he was addressing remained largely outside the frame.