Trump Floats Renaming Lincoln Memorial Pool at Final Midterm Event

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (OPA) — Speaking from a platform at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, President Donald Trump told a seated audience of roughly 60 supporters and reporters that he was giving serious thought to rebranding the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool as the "Trump Reflecting Pool." Trump added on Monday that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would make the official announcement on Tuesday before delivering the punchline that he was only kidding.

The $14 million renovation project has faced repeated delays, cost questions, and scrutiny over a blue liner that failed within weeks of installation. The no-bid contract was awarded to a Virginia company that previously resurfaced a pool at one of Trump's golf clubs. During his remarks, Trump detailed the Washington construction project for nearly 30 minutes, holding up photographs to point out replaced granite stones while calling the site the biggest pool in the world.

Trump's decision to spend the final day of the midterm campaign in Washington rather than a competitive battleground state puzzled Republican strategists facing polls that indicate the party is at risk of losing majorities in both the House and the Senate. In recent weeks, Trump has shuttled between key battleground states and traditional Republican strongholds, including Kansas, Iowa, Alaska, and Texas, while canceling and rescheduling multiple campaign stops.

The administration has previously pursued several high-profile rebranding efforts. A federal judge ruled on May 29 that only Congress possesses the authority to rename the Kennedy Center, resulting in workers removing Trump's name from the building's facade in June. Trump also ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed 'Lake America' in August, renamed the Gulf of Mexico the 'Gulf of America' upon taking office, and floated 'Trump Strait' for the Strait of Hormuz in September.