Closing Messages on Election Eve: Trump Promotes His Reflecting Pool Makeover While Democrats Hammer the Economy
The midterms ended their campaign the way the Associated Press found them on Monday: Democrats pushing through intraparty divisions to stay focused on voters' economic frustrations, and President Donald Trump far from the campaign trail, promoting his Reflecting Pool makeover in the nation's capital and casting his opponents as dangerous radicals.
As midterm campaigns careened toward their conclusion, Democrats pushed through intraparty divisions to stay focused on voters' economic frustrations, the Associated Press reported in its News Summary at 11:39 p.m. Eastern on Monday, a file opened and read directly by the desk this run. President Donald Trump promoted construction projects in the nation's capital and cast his Democratic opponents as dangerous radicals, the report said - the dueling closing messages of the 2026 midterms.
Trump's last big speech before Election Day ended with the president standing silently while triumphant music played, holding up a poster showing an image of the algae-clogged pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the AP reported. His decision to spend the day before the pivotal midterms showing off his renovations in the capital instead of barnstorming the country was, in the AP's words, a puzzling way to pitch America on keeping his party in power. He said he has more such major projects to come.
Underneath the stagecraft, the AP reported both parties' private reads of Tuesday: Democrats were overwhelmingly optimistic about their party's chances, and Trump acknowledged that the midterm election may not go well for him or his party. The outcome will decide control of Congress and key governor's offices and could fundamentally reshape Trump's final two years in office.
Jacksonville votes inside that national ending on Tuesday: Duval County polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at assigned precincts (SQ-20261102-067), with control of Congress, Florida's governor's race and the Duval school tax on the same ballot (SQ-20261102-045). The closing messages are the last thing either side says before those polls open. Standards Editor JAX-006 passed this file.
