Donald Trump closed the Republican midterm campaign with a speech at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, but spent much of his opening discussing its troubled renovation rather than the election. He described repairs to the pool, including resurfacing and re-caulking, and showed photos of its pipes and algae.

The project has fallen far short of Trump’s initial promise of a two-week, $1.5 million job: the blue liner peeled, algae returned, and repairs stretched on for months and cost millions more. Trump blamed vandalism, while the contractor and U.S. attorney’s office attributed the problems to poor workmanship; the case against former Olympian David Hearn was dropped and later permanently dismissed.

Trump presented the pool and other Washington projects as evidence that his administration was delivering for Americans, but Democrats and some Republicans criticized the focus as out of touch with voters’ concerns about affordability.

That contrast was sharpened by Trump’s claims that the economy was booming and that higher gas prices were a small price to pay for the war with Iran, even as grocery and energy costs remained a concern for households.

Pre-election polls showed Democrats leading in several competitive Senate races and favored to retake the House, amid voter dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy and the Iran war. The article cautioned that polls have underestimated Trump’s support in the past.

Trump eventually turned to the election, calling it crucial and urging voters to keep Republicans in control of Congress while acknowledging that the sitting president’s party often loses seats in midterms.

He then attacked Democratic candidates as the “most extreme and dangerous slate” in American history and repeated anti-Muslim and anti-trans rhetoric before returning to praise for his administration’s projects.

Republican strategist Doug Heye said the closing message was disconnected from voters’ priorities, adding that Trump’s rally asides about candidates’ appearances and personal lives were unhelpful to Republicans on the ballot.

Marjorie Taylor Greene said she was “very disappointed” that Trump focused on Washington renovation projects in his final midterm message.

Trump warned that a Democratic-controlled Congress could investigate him and his family’s business dealings; he said he would use vetoes and make deals if Democrats won both chambers, while hoping that outcome would not occur.

The stakes extended beyond the immediate election, with issues including the cost of living, the Iran war, abortion rights, immigration enforcement, artificial intelligence and data centers. Democratic control of Congress could constrain Trump’s agenda for his final two years and strengthen the party ahead of the 2028 presidential race.