President Donald Trump closed his public midterm campaign on Monday by describing Democratic Party candidates as a threat to the country.
Speaking beside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, Trump described the vote as exceptionally consequential and accused Democrats of fielding an extremist slate.
AOC. Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot.
His remarks came alongside appeals to Republican voters to temper expectations following weeks of ominous polling for the GOP.
A Closing Speech
Describing this year’s midterm elections as the most important “in our lifetime,” Trump said the Democratic Party had “nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history.”
“Democrats of fielding an extremist slate,” Trump added.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, in response to an edited clip of the president saying he was considering renaming the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after himself, described Trump’s remarks as “pathetic” in a social media post.
Braced for Defeat
Trump urged Republican voters to temper their expectations in his near-hour-long speech on Monday afternoon. He said that an incumbent president “doesn’t win the midterms,” adding that the GOP had given the election “a very strong shot.”
“Usually, whoever the sitting president is, Republican or Democrat, good or bad, good president, great president… for some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms,” Trump said.
While the president’s party has lost seats in the House in the past five midterm elections, both Democratic and Republican presidents have enjoyed gains.
In 1998, the Democrats gained four seats under President Bill Clinton.
AOC. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Four years later, President George W. Bush gained eight seats.
Both had approval ratings of at least 65% by the end of October; Trump’s, by contrast, remains in the mid-30s across most polls.
Reflecting on the Reflecting Pool
Despite a White House official saying prior to the president’s speech that it would represent his “closing message” to voters, Trump spent much of the hour-long talk discussing the Reflecting Pool that served as his backdrop.
His 54-minute appearance included discussion of pipes, paint, algae-control equipment, new grass and a proposed arch, and he joked that he would rename the landmark after himself.
Trump’s pool-centric speech and his fascination with renovations contrast with the priorities of many American voters.
According to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released last month, 59% of U.S. adults said President Trump was spending “too much” time on his renovation projects at the White House.
That compares with 27% who said he is spending the right amount of time on the matter, and 11% who said he wasn’t spending enough time on the issue.
Urging Republican Turnout
It took more than 20 minutes for Trump to address the election, during which he defended his administration’s record and attacked Democrats.
The president claimed that “personal incomes are the highest in history” and that “the poverty rate is at an all-time record low.” That “all doesn’t matter,” Trump continued, “if we’re going to be foolish and let people that hate our country win an election.”
“If the people that voted for me and voted in the last election… just a good portion of them, we will win in a landslide,” he added.
It’s a strategy that Trump has pushed throughout the election campaign by urging his supporters to “pretend” as if he is on the ballot in a bid to drive conservatives to the polls.
The result has been a Trump-centric GOP campaign, which, according to White House spokesman Davis Ingle, is because the president is “the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party.”
However, the strategy has also been a motivator for Democrats, according to Jessica Mackler, president of EMILY’s List, which supports female Democratic Party candidates who support abortion rights.
“I don’t think there’s anybody that wants Donald Trump out there at these rallies more than Democratic candidates,” she told the Associated Press. “We look at that as a win,” she added, referring to the president’s campaign appearances.
Mackler’s belief is backed by the opinion polls.
An NPR/PBS News/Marist survey released last week found that, despite control of the White House not being in play, 44% of likely voters said they would cast their ballot against Trump, compared to just 21% who said they would cast it in favor of the president.
About the Author: Shay Bottomley
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist. He has written for the Western Standard, Business Insider, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo.
