President Donald Trump concluded his one-hour closing campaign speech on Monday, November 2, standing before the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. By the end of the address, the water behind him had become still, perfectly reflecting the Washington Monument and the gray November sky. While the pool appeared to be functioning as intended, observers noted it remained unclear if the President himself was fully engaged with the political moment.
The speech, announced as his final message to the electorate before the new Congress is chosen this week, lacked the high-level contrast with Democrats that some Republicans had anticipated. Instead, Trump delivered a quiet and extremely detailed account of problems he claimed to have resolved in the hydraulic structure of the approximately 610-meter-long pool. He specifically cited rusted pipes, old joints, repositioned rebars, and "a huge amount of algae" as key issues addressed.
Just eight minutes into the address, before any mention of the midterm elections, Trump invited an aide named Greg onto the stage to hold large color photographs while he described the specific repairs he had ordered. It took another sixteen minutes before he finally mentioned the elections, which were supposed to be the primary focus of the event. Although Trump remained relatively optimistic about Republican prospects, a White House official noted that his outlook had darkened in recent days and his mood had worsened.
On Monday, the topic of the midterm elections occupied only about ten minutes of the speech. For the remainder of the time, Trump focused on a subject that brings him greater satisfaction: various repair projects he claims to have executed in the nation's capital. He joked about naming the Reflecting Pool after himself. The audience consisted of invited guests and numbered only a few dozen people.
As he concluded his remarks, the President frankly acknowledged that his ability to carry out reforms did not extend far beyond the limits of the capital. "We have many excellent things planned for Washington," he declared enthusiastically. "I could talk about the whole country, but you don't have enough time for that." This approach marked a strange conclusion to a campaign where voters repeatedly questioned the President's priorities.
Interviews with voters in different swing states during this midterm season revealed that no one mentioned the Reflecting Pool or any other Washington project among their main concerns. However, from another perspective, the speech may have been an appropriate way for the President to conclude a campaign he conducted almost entirely around himself. Many candidates now competing in tight races, including in Texas and South Carolina, were personally chosen by Trump, often against the objections of other Republicans.
An unusual midterm convention in Texas, organized at Trump's behest, revolved around the President and his governance record. He persistently asked voters to pretend his own name was on the ballot, effectively turning the election into a referendum on his first two unpopular years back in power. Furthermore, Trump made a point of highlighting aspects of his agenda that many voters believe have little or no relation to what truly matters to them.
Many allies worked discreetly to steer him toward more promising topics, such as massive tax cuts or efforts to create jobs in the industry, but it was to no avail. Trump mentions his construction projects almost every time he gives a speech, often receiving lukewarm reactions from supporters. At times, such as last week in Mississippi, the subject has even provoked protests.
Trump stated that his interest in renovations helps him relax and that these works do not occupy a significant portion of his time. "I can do this naturally. It is something natural," he said in Mississippi while responding to criticism from former President Barack Obama. Obama had previously claimed Trump was spending too much time and energy making the White House look like a place where Saddam Hussein had gilded a Cheesecake Factory restaurant unit.
Aides have long stated that Trump is happier when working on renovation projects, which include the ballroom, the Reflecting Pool, a proposed triumphal arch, a new helipad, paving for the Rose Garden, stones for the vehicle entrance, a guest bathroom, decoration for the colonnade, plasterwork on the portico, two flagpoles approximately 30 meters high, and a continuous attempt to introduce as much gold as possible into the Oval Office.
The projects have not always gone according to plan. In April, Trump promised that repairs to the Reflecting Pool would be completed in two weeks with a modest budget of $1.5 million. A few weeks before the July 4 deadline, the blue lining he ordered began to peel off, and large concentrations of algae appeared. Several additional months and millions of dollars were required to complete the project.
On Monday, Trump attributed the delays to acts of vandalism, but both the company he hired and the office of the U.S. Attorney for Washington stated that the blame lay with the poor quality of services executed. A frenetic campaign schedule had kept the President away from his projects for most of the last month. Until last week, Republican team members expected Trump to spend the day before the midterm elections in swing states trying to mobilize Republicans to vote.
However, as his voice became hoarser last week and he began publicly complaining about the pace of the campaign—"I have been to too many rallies," he said during his last event in Kansas on Sunday—the plans were set aside. By Monday, he seemed to have already lost interest. Even in a speech about a subject he enjoys, Trump's pessimism was evident.
"Normally, whoever is the incumbent president—Republican or Democrat, good or bad, a good president, a great president, or a bad president—for some reason, the President's party does not win midterm elections," he said in a downcast tone. "But we are trying very hard to change that." He ended the speech a few minutes later, alone on stage holding a photograph of the algae-covered Reflecting Pool, while a trumpet fanfare played.
Sources: CNN Brasil.