WASHINGTON—It was a picture-perfect setting for the closing argument of a contentious campaign season. But when President Trump stepped up to a lectern in front of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Monday afternoon, he had another matter on his mind: rusty pipes.
“The pipes were very old and in bad shape,” Trump said, holding up photos of the aging infrastructure he replaced under the reflecting pool. “The pipes now are totally renovated. They’re brand new pipes.”
The president’s nearly hourlong speech, which some White House officials pitched as a capstone to a flurry of midterm election rallies, centered on the many construction projects and renovations Trump has overseen during his second term. He talked about cleaning up graffiti, fixing fountains and monuments, and resodding the National Mall.
“Like the human being, grass has a life also,” Trump said. “The grass in front of the White House was a very inferior grass for many, many years, and now it’s beautiful.”
The remarks frustrated Republicans, including some of his own White House advisers, who privately expressed exasperation that the president chose not to use a high-profile speech on the eve of the election to squarely focus on the economic issues that voters say they care most about. In recent days, GOP operatives have grown increasingly worried that they will suffer far-reaching losses in this week’s election—and the mood inside the White House has grown dour.
Asked for a response to the speech, a person close to the president texted a facepalm emoji. A prominent Republican strategist said the backdrop was great, but the message was wrong. Another Republican operative said that the algae that has plagued the reflecting pool would be the least of their problems if Republicans lose the House and Senate on Tuesday.
“He has never been known for message discipline,” said retiring Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon. He had hoped that Trump would focus more on GOP accomplishments such as tax cuts and border security, topics that the president touched on in passing during his speech. Bacon added that it wasn’t all bad: “At least he wasn’t talking about men’s behinds.”
After the speech, some Trump advisers argued that the remarks weren’t intended to be a closing message. But a senior White House official previewed the speech to reporters in exactly those terms on Sunday, saying the remarks would serve as a final argument to voters and an opportunity for the president to tout Republican accomplishments.
Trump views beautification of Washington as one of his strongest legacies, and he has told advisers it inspires pride in the country. Aides have privately encouraged him to focus on other things, but the president has largely rejected that advice, believing that the issue will resonate with voters. Polls have shown that a majority of Americans disapprove of his construction projects, including the new White House ballroom, though most Republicans view them positively.
“The president’s a builder. You can’t keep him away,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Monday at the event.
Trump had been expected to spend Monday speaking at two or more rallies across the country, part of a monthlong effort to motivate his conservative base to show up at the polls. But he decided instead to dial into a series of virtual rallies and give remarks at the Lincoln Memorial, something he had been angling to do for weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.
“We’re giving serious thought to changing the name to the Trump Reflecting Pool,” the president said at the beginning of his remarks, clarifying that he was joking.
The scene was the latest episode in an election filled with unusual moments. Trump, wearing a white USA ball cap, delivered a 53-minute meandering speech to an audience that consisted of a small group of National Park Service workers and members of the media.
Trump stood next to a large photo of the reflecting pool with the caption: “Back, and more beautiful than ever!” He delivered some of the same lines featured in rally speeches, but without the raucous applause that typically accompanies them. Instead, the scene was mostly quiet—the reflecting pool’s adjacent sidewalks were shut down as a security precaution.
He spent a small portion of his speech on the election, attacking Democratic candidates as radicals and touting the tax cuts he signed into law.
Trump earlier this year ordered up a renovation of the historic pool, saying he would do it quicker and cheaper than others. But plans to open it in time for America’s 250th birthday celebration were derailed when green algae blooms appeared.
Trump also accused vandals of slashing the new liner—which he painted “American flag blue”—though charges were dropped and the contractor acknowledged it had made mistakes.
As the president touted the new coating he had installed on the bottom of the reflecting pool, he asked, “Does somebody have those pictures for me?” An aide came to the lectern with a stack of photos and Trump offered commentary as he held them up. “These are the pipes,” he said, adding, “That’s brand new grass that was vandalized.”
Trump views the renovation as part of a larger project to restore the standing of the U.S.
“We were laughed at all over the world for four years,” he concluded. “We were laughed at like we were stupid people. We were laughed at by every ruler, every president, every prime minister, every king, every queen. But they don’t laugh anymore.”
Write to Alex Leary at alex.leary@wsj.com, Marianne LeVine at marianne.levine@wsj.com and Philip Wegmann at philip.wegmann@wsj.com
