By Jacob Bogage and Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON, Nov 2 (Reuters) – Facing elections that could cost his party control of Congress, President Donald Trump spent his last major speech before the midterms talking about pipes and paint on Monday.
Trump ruminated on his Washington renovations, new sod, the White House’s helipad, a grand new arch and the recently reopened Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool during a 54-minute speech that the White House billed as part of the president’s closing argument before voters cast their ballots.
Facing a towering marble statue of Abraham Lincoln, Trump joked he would soon rename the pool in his own honor rather than after the 16th president, credited with helping end slavery and preserving the Union amid the Civil War.
Trump ran through a series of pool renovations, spoke without providing evidence about vandals’ attempts to damage the pool and offered updates on other projects he said would beautify the nation’s capital.
“I decided to get involved in this, especially over the last few months, and we’ve done, I think, a really great job,” Trump said.
DEMOCRATS FAVORED TO WIN HOUSE
Tuesday’s elections will determine whether Trump’s Republicans retain control of Congress. Nonpartisan analysts generally favor Democrats’ chances of winning a majority in the House of Representatives and see the Senate as competitive.
Trump’s public approval rating is now 32%, near a career low, according to the Reuters/Ipsos poll. Voters say their main concern is the cost of living. Energy prices have risen sharply since the US and Israeli war with Iran began, leaping 20% over the year prior, according to the US Consumer Price Index.
“For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms,” Trump said. “But we gave this a very strong shot.”
Many Republican strategists privately said they wanted Trump to focus his pitch to voters squarely on kitchen-table economic issues. But on a nationwide tour that has included 28 rallies in 19 states since October 1, Trump has delivered lengthy asides on other topics. Those include projects ranging from a Potomac River golf course to the Kennedy Center.
The opening of Trump’s more-than-$16 million renovation of the 2,000-foot (610-meter) pool was delayed by peeling paint and algae growth that turned its crystal-blue waters green. The administration defended contractors hired without competitive bidding and blamed vandalism for the issues. But prosecutors backed off the claims against a person accused of vandalism and a judge dismissed the case.
In Monday’s televised remarks, Trump held up pictures of the Washington landmark as he discussed the pool’s new bubblers and pipework, as well as efforts to defeat algae growth. A new paint job, he said, “gives you great reflectivity, especially when the sun’s out.”
Democratic control of Congress would allow the president’s opposition to open wide-ranging investigations of the president and his cabinet officials. Trump’s projects on the White House grounds and the National Mall could be ripe for those inquiries because he pursued many without congressional approval and they have faced legal challenges.
After talking about the pool, Trump made brief diversions into campaign substance, attacking Democrats as unfit to serve and said the US had won the war with Iran. Talks to end the war have been ongoing in recent days.
Before closing his remarks, Trump turned to other projects: a proposed triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery and an overhaul of Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links along the city’s riverfront.
“We have a lot of great things planned for Washington, and I could get into the nation, but for that you don’t have enough time.”
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Trevor Hunnicutt and Rod Nickel)
