Donald Trump delivered the final speech of his campaign for the US midterm elections at Washington’s Reflecting Pool, a symbolic location that has remained closed after a failed blue paint coating left the water green with algae. Just over 20 people attended the event before the president returned to the White House, where he was scheduled to take part remotely in six further rallies.
“The most important of our lives” was how Trump described the elections, while accusing the Democratic Party of putting forward the “most extreme and dangerous” candidates in US history. His remarks continued the Republican campaign’s focus on warning voters about the opposing party and included attacks on Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate in Michigan, whom Trump associated with jihadists and the Muslim Brotherhood.
The speech was Trump’s latest attempt to mobilize Republican voters. He has held 30 rallies over the past month, seeking to offset the party’s tendency to record lower turnout when he is not on the ballot. Recent polls and early-voting figures point to major Republican losses in the House of Representatives and a narrower Democratic advantage in the Senate. Such a result would give Democrats the ability to block parts of the president’s right-wing agenda.
Trump accused Democrats of supporting open borders, higher taxes, restrictions on firearms, gender-transition surgeries for children, the abolition of oil and natural gas, rising energy costs and increased immigration. He also repeated claims about undocumented immigrants voting without providing evidence, an allegation he has raised during previous elections.
The president used his final public appearance before the vote to cast further doubt on the electoral process. He referred to Alaska, where he claimed Democrats had attempted to confuse voters by placing a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, and to Los Angeles, where the White House is seeking to invalidate 20,000 votes it says were probably cast by undocumented immigrants. Trump also said he would try to repeat the Alaska election if the Republican candidate lost.
Around 55 million Americans had already voted early by the time of the speech. Trump acknowledged that midterm elections are generally difficult for the party occupying the White House, arguing that Republicans could still win decisively if those who supported him in the last presidential election turned out to vote.
The 50-minute address came as Trump’s approval rating had fallen to about 32%, according to Ipsos. The article said surveys showed that voters were more concerned about corruption, the high cost of living and the war in Iran than the issues emphasized in his speech.
Sources: La Vanguardia.