Trump Delivers Closing Midterm Address at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Before Polls Open

President Donald Trump delivered his closing message for the midterm elections on Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, hours before polls open across the country. NPR described it as his last expected public address, with a message urging the public to support Republicans. Trump discussed what he sees as the stakes of the election and highlighted his administration's first 20 months in office. He said Democrats had nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history, and he accused them of backing open borders, higher taxes, gun restrictions and abolishing oil and natural gas. Among accomplishments, he cited the border, tax cuts, exports, the low poverty rate and "25 trillion in wealth created." He also spoke about renovations in Washington, D.C.

NPR and Talking Points Memo, on the left, lead with the setting and the renovation theme. NPR's headline says Trump closed by touting his D.C. renovations and calls the address a weaving message. Talking Points Memo goes further, with a satirical headline saying the message was mostly about proper pool maintenance and a mocking opening line calling him the National Pool Guy. Their excerpts do not include his attacks on Democratic candidates or his policy claims. Breitbart, on the right, uses a plain headline about a closing message on the National Mall. It opens with the location and timing, then leads with Trump's direct quotes about Democratic candidates, including his references to jihadists and Muslim Brotherhood members. It also features his list of accomplishments and his claim that Democratic ideologies have always failed. Both sides agree on the venue, the timing and that this was Trump's final pitch before voting. They differ on what counts as the main content. The left treats the renovation and pool remarks as the defining feature, while the right treats the stakes and accomplishments as central. Alternative and independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left- and right-leaning outlets had.