Trump to Give Closing Midterm Pitch    11/02 06:18

   President Donald Trump is making his closing pitch of the midterm elections 
at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, pushing his slow, expensive and 
problem-plagued efforts to repair it back into the spotlight on the eve of 
Election Day.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is making his closing pitch of the 
midterm elections at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, pushing his slow, 
expensive and problem-plagued efforts to repair it back into the spotlight on 
the eve of Election Day.

   In comments to reporters as he deplaned from Air Force One for a Sunday 
rally in Iowa, Trump said his speaking at the site would "show how beautiful it 
is."

   "We might hold it tomorrow or something," the president added, without 
giving specifics. Hours later, the White House formally announced he'd be 
giving a speech there Monday afternoon.

   Rather than using Monday to travel to key states and try to energize his 
"Make America Great Again" supporters as his Republican Party tries to maintain 
control of Congress, Trump opted for an event at a Washington renovation 
project that has been embarrassing and contentious.

   The unusual move marks a departure from Trump's month-long race to stage 
more than 25 rallies in largely conservative areas, hoping the GOP can overcome 
his own low approval ratings and polls predicting that the Iran war, high 
energy prices and cost of living increases could spell a strong election night 
for Democrats.

   Trump wrote on his social media site that his Sunday evening rally in Kansas 
-- which followed his Iowa visit -- was "my last stop."

   The presidewnt spent a lot of time at those rallies talking about his 
second-term focus on molding the White House and the surrounding nation's 
capital in his own image. He crammed the Oval Office with gold flourishes, 
demolishing the East Wing to construct a sprawling ballroom, converting the 
Rose Garden into a patio space reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate and 
erecting a sprawling South Lawn helipad.

   Trump also closed the Kennedy Center after failed attempts to add his name 
to the building, has planned a towering arch just outside the city and is 
pushing to revamp a century-old public golf course.

   He has bristled at criticisms from former President Barack Obama and other 
Democrats that he's spent too much time focused on construction projects -- 
insisting that renovations relax him and that he does them quickly and without 
requiring too much planning time.

   Trump said the Reflecting Pool fix would be fast and inexpensive 

   His Reflecting Pool saga began in April when Trump said he wanted to change 
its color and would use contractors he knew to fix the monument in mere days 
and for about $1.5 million before Independence Day.

   The repairs wrapped up nearly three months behind schedule and the budget 
ballooned to more than 10 times Trump's early estimate -- and that's assuming 
no more additional work will need to be done in the future.

   Trump had initially declared the work was complete in June. But after 
unveiling the overhaul, the pool was soon choked with algae blooms, and its 
"American-flag blue" liner began peeling off in sections. The pool was quickly 
drained anew for repairs in mid-July.

   Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals, but the office of U.S. Attorney for the 
District of Columbia -- former Fox News host and longtime Trump ally Jeanine 
Pirro -- said the problems were caused by shoddy workmanship.

   In his comments Sunday, Trump continued to insist that the Reflecting Pool 
"was vandalized badly." He said that security cameras have since been added to 
stop that.

   Still, a particularly ignominious moment came when the Justice Department 
charged former Olympian David Hearn with intentionally damaging the Reflecting 
Pool -- then abruptly dropped the case this summer -- determining he was not 
responsible.

   A judge later permanently dismissed it.

   That prompted Trump to fume that Pirro "choked," and that he was 
"disappointed with Jeanine Pirro, really disappointed. She folded like an 
umbrella" -- though he stopped short of firing her.