Donald Trump rallies Republicans at Reflecting Pool ahead of US midterm elections
Donald Trump chose Washington’s Reflecting Pool — an iconic landmark where botched repairs came to symbolise the 80-year-old’s chaotic presidency — for a final speech on Monday to rally Republicans against a predicted tide of Democratic victories in midterm elections. Polls show Democrats poised to seize the House of Representatives and within reach of the Senate in Tuesday’s vote — a shift that would impose tight political constraints on the president. A White House official told AFP the speech would highlight “this administration’s achievements to make the country safer and wealthier” while contrasting “the Republicans’ commonsense America First agenda” with “the Democrats’ radical, America Last agenda”. The site is one of the US capital’s historic stages. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, overlooking the pool. Trump said on Sunday he picked the site “just to show how beautiful it is”. But the roughly $15 million renovation left the pool’s lining peeling and its water green with algae. He pointed at vandalism, but federal prosecutors blamed faulty work. Under Trump, it has also become part of a sweeping drive to remake Washington, which has included tearing down part of the White House and threatening to demolish the city’s premier arts centre. Trump has predicted victory in the midterms for his Republicans, but he acknowledged the alternative in an interview released on Monday by the New York Post’s Pod Force One podcast. “I think we’re going to do great — but if we didn’t win, I veto everything,” he said. “I’ll be vetoing, vetoing. And then they’ll come along and we’ll probably make some deals along the way.” Winning just the House would give Democrats voting power over the federal budget and control of committees able to investigate alleged corruption under Trump, the Epstein files and other explosive issues. A Democratic Senate could also block Trump’s lifetime appointments to the courts, including the Supreme Court. ‘Ransack, rape and plunder’ Trump warned Republican lawmakers in January that losing the midterms would lead to his impeachment. The loss of total Republican control would push him toward lame-duck status, with high inflation at home and the war against Iran still weighing on his presidency. Democrats, meanwhile, prepared final rallies in battleground states, including in Texas with James Talarico and in Kansas with Adam Hamilton — two star Senate candidates seeking major upsets. Kansas has not elected a Democratic senator in nearly a century. But a decade into the Trump era, Democrats remain wary of predicting victory. Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock told CNN that the mood was “nauseously optimistic”. Republicans have run a scorched-earth campaign, painting Democrats as communists and branding Abdul El-Sayed, the Muslim Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, a terrorist. Addressing a crowd in Iowa on Sunday, Trump said Democrats are “extreme and dangerous radicals” who will “steal your wealth” and let in migrants to “ransack, rape and plunder”. Democrats have faced late divisions of their own, with left-wing candidates at times clashing with the party establishment. On Sunday, Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens endorsed El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, in Michigan’s pivotal Senate race. Stevens lost a bruising primary to El-Sayed in August despite establishment backing. Senate in play While the House appears highly likely to turn Democratic, the battle for the Senate is far closer. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to take control. Only a third of the 100 seats are being contested, and few of those races initially looked favorable to the party. To win, Democrats must flip seats in states that Trump carried by double digits two years ago. Forecaster Decision Desk HQ has Democrats winning the Senate 52-48 and the House by a comfortable 241-194. The final New York Times/Siena poll, released Sunday evening, showed Democrats leading in all seven of the most competitive Senate races, though five were within the margin of error. Tuesday is election day, but a record 54 million people have already cast ballots. The midterms have also drawn about $11bn in advertising, with large chunks coming from individual mega-donors. Elon Musk, the Trump ally who led the so-called DOGE drive to slash the federal government, has given nearly half a billion dollars to help elect Republicans.
President Donald Trump made his final campaign push ahead of the US midterm elections on Monday, addressing supporters at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington as surveys pointed to substantial Democratic gains.
Public polling indicates the Democratic Party is positioned to capture the House of Representatives and remains in contention to secure the Senate in Tuesday's balloting. Such an outcome would curtail the administration's legislative power, give Democrats oversight over federal spending and investigative committees, and allow them to block judicial appointments if they flip the upper chamber.
A White House official told AFP that the president's speech was designed to promote the administration's work on national security and the economy, contrasting what the administration terms a common-sense approach with the opposition's platform. Trump stated over the weekend that he chose the Reflecting Pool to showcase its beauty. However, a recent renovation costing approximately $15 million left the landmark with peeling lining and algae growth. While Trump alleged vandalism, federal prosecutors attributed the condition to substandard construction. The site also fits into a broader, contentious effort by the administration to alter Washington's architecture, which has included partial demolition work at the White House.
Speaking on the New York Post's Pod Force One podcast, Trump expressed confidence in Republican prospects but outlined his strategy should his party lose control of Congress, pledging to repeatedly use his veto power before negotiating deals. He had previously warned Republican lawmakers earlier in the year that defeat at the polls could trigger impeachment proceedings, with persistent inflation and the ongoing conflict with Iran already complicating his term.
The campaign has witnessed sharp rhetoric and high spending across the country. In Iowa, Trump characterised political opponents as dangerous radicals who would harm the economy and allow undocumented migrants to commit violent crimes. Meanwhile, Democrats have contested difficult ground, staging events behind figures such as James Talarico in Texas and Adam Hamilton in Kansas, where Democrats have not claimed a Senate seat in nearly a century. Internal friction has also surfaced, notably in Michigan, where Democratic Representative Haley Stevens endorsed Republican nominee Mike Rogers over Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed following an earlier primary defeat.
Election models and late polling show competitive Senate contests. Decision Desk HQ projected Democrats taking the Senate 52-48 and the House 241-194. A final New York Times/Siena poll found Democratic candidates leading in seven top battlegrounds, though five remained within the margin of error. Turnout is already high, with an unprecedented 54 million early votes recorded and political advertising spending approaching $11 billion, bolstered by donors such as Elon Musk, who contributed nearly half a billion dollars to Republican efforts.
Earlier on this story
- California mail ballots face Supreme Court challenge from Trump administration
- New Hampshire Senate battle tightens as Pappas and Sununu clash over Trump
- US midterm campaign spending heads toward record 12 billion dollars
- Democrats unite behind El-Sayed after Haley Stevens backs Republican in Michigan race
- Barack Obama hits midterm campaign trail to rally Democrats against Trump
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