If President Donald Trump wanted to make one last compelling argument for voters to keep Republicans in power, he had an unusual way of going about it: an extended ramble about pools, rusted pipes, grass and concrete — capped by a suggestion that Washington’s iconic Reflecting Pool could one day bear his name.
During his final scheduled in-person appearance before Election Day, Trump stood near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., and spent much of his speech discussing the renovation work his administration had carried out around the nation’s capital.
At one point, he even joked about renaming the landmark after himself.
Trump floated the idea of calling it the “Trump Reflecting Pool,” before quickly adding, “I’m only kidding; please don’t report it.”
Apparently, even Trump recognized that the suggestion might spark a furious backlash.
But the name-change joke was just one moment in a speech that spent an extraordinary amount of time focused on construction projects rather than the election he was supposed to be helping Republicans win.
For roughly 23 minutes, Trump discussed the Reflecting Pool and other renovation efforts, wandering through a seemingly endless list of details involving grass, topsoil, rusted pipes, Corinthian columns, graffiti, stonework, statues and monuments.
At one point, he struggled to describe the pool, calling it “a massive piece of, uh, piece of pool.”
He also offered this philosophical observation about landscaping: “Like the human being, grass has a life also.”
The Reflecting Pool itself has been a source of controversy for the administration. A renovation initially presented as a relatively quick and inexpensive project ultimately cost more than $14 million, while the new blue coating began peeling and algae blooms turned the water green.
The pool had to be drained again for additional repairs.
Trump has repeatedly promoted the project as evidence of his administration’s efforts to improve Washington, even as the renovation problems became a political headache.
Eventually, after roughly 23 minutes of discussing construction and landscaping, the president turned to the actual purpose of the event: the midterm elections.
Trump attacked Democrats, claiming they had nominated “the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history.” He also returned to familiar anti-immigrant and anti-transgender rhetoric, telling supporters, “We’ll defend our country, our culture and our heritage for generations to come.”
He also claimed his administration had made significant progress in reducing crime.
But the election-focused portion of the speech was relatively brief. The remarks lasted more than 40 minutes, with only about 10 minutes devoted directly to the midterms.
More than 50 million Americans had already voted, with early turnout running ahead of the same point in the 2022 midterm elections.
And with Election Day just hours away, Trump’s final in-person pitch to voters offered a memorable glimpse of his priorities: a lengthy discussion of renovation projects, and a suggestion about putting his own name on one of Washington’s most recognizable landmarks.
