Trump Touts Reflecting Pool as Democrats Press Economy on Midterm Eve

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Key Points

  • President Donald Trump used his final public remarks before Election Day, at the reopened Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, to promote Washington projects and criticize Democratic candidates, AP, Reuters and CNBC reported.
  • Democrats closed on the economy and cost of living, with candidates campaigning Monday in Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Texas, according to AP.
  • All 435 House seats and 35 of the 100 Senate seats are on the ballot Tuesday, Nov. 3. Republicans hold a 53-47 Senate majority, as Reuters reported.
  • More than 57 million ballots had been cast early as of Monday, AP and Reuters reported, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Nov. 2 put Trump’s approval at 32%.

Updated Nov. 2, 2026, 8:45 p.m. ET. Sources: The Associated Press, Reuters, CNBC, WNYT and Ipsos. No results from the Nov. 3 general election have been released.

Candidates and party leaders made their midterm closing arguments on Monday, Nov. 2, the last full day of campaigning before the 2026 elections. Republicans led by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance asked voters to keep the party in control of Congress, while Democrats focused on prices. This report does not predict any outcome.

What happened

Trump’s final remarks at the Reflecting Pool

Trump spoke Monday afternoon at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which reopened after a months-long renovation he had ordered. AP and Reuters described the speech as his final public remarks before Tuesday’s vote. CNBC reported that the speech lasted nearly an hour, with more than 20 minutes on the pool and other Washington projects before Trump turned to the midterms.

“So we have a lot of great things planned for Washington, and I could get into the nation, but for that you don’t have enough time,” Trump said, according to Reuters. AP reported the remark in slightly different wording.

Trump said the Democratic Party had “nominated the most extreme and dangerous slate of candidates in American history,” according to AP and CNBC. He also addressed the history of midterm elections. “For some reason, the sitting president doesn’t win the midterms. But we gave this a very strong shot,” Trump said, as quoted by CNBC. AP also reported the remark.

Vance in upstate New York

Vance campaigned Monday in Rome, New York, for Republican Anthony Constantino in New York’s 21st Congressional District, WNYT reported. “Tomorrow, the workers and the people of this district are gonna send a message,” Vance said, according to the station. AP reported that Vance pointed to the end of taxes on tips and overtime and to border security. Democrat Blake Gendebien said in a statement that voters “know who will show up for them,” WNYT reported.

Democrats press the economy

AP reported that Democrats “fought to stay focused on the economy” in the final hours, pressing their message in Iowa, Ohio, Kansas and Texas. AP cited an AP-NORC poll in which 17% of adults approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. In Iowa, Democratic governor candidate Rob Sand, who faces Republican Zach Lahn, campaigned with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “This is it,” Sand said, according to AP.

Latest development

Michigan Senate race

In Michigan’s open Senate race, Rep. Haley Stevens, who lost the Democratic primary to Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers on Sunday and appeared with him at a church service, AP and Reuters reported. See our report on Haley Stevens endorsing Mike Rogers.

After the endorsement, El-Sayed’s campaign said it raised $2.4 million on Sunday, its largest single-day total, from small-dollar donations averaging $36.74 from more than 65,000 donors, Reuters reported. LiveNewsWorld has not independently verified the campaign’s figures. El-Sayed campaigned Monday at Eastern Michigan University with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, AP reported.

Record early vote

More than 57 million ballots had been cast before Election Day as of Monday, AP and Reuters reported. The outlets gave different 2022 comparisons: AP said a little under 44.5 million, Reuters 45 million. See our report on the record early vote in the 2026 midterms.

Final Reuters/Ipsos poll

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed Nov. 2 found that 32% of adults approved of Trump’s job performance, unchanged from a week earlier, Reuters reported. Ipsos’s published topline shows the same 32% among all adults and 36% among registered voters.

Reuters reported that registered voters preferred Democratic candidates for Congress over Republicans by 46% to 38%, an 8-point lead that was narrower than the 11-point lead a week earlier. Ipsos’s published topline, which counts respondents who said they lean toward a party, shows Democrats ahead 49% to 42% among registered voters and 52% to 44% among likely voters. The topline does not list the 46% to 38% figure separately. Cost of living was the single most important factor for 48% of registered voters, the topline shows.

Methodology: Ipsos conducted the poll from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2026, online in English, using its probability-based KnowledgePanel. The sample was 1,765 U.S. adults age 18 or older, including 1,357 registered voters and 1,212 likely voters. Ipsos reports a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for all adults, 2.7 points for registered voters and 2.9 points for likely voters, at the 95% confidence level. Reuters described the margin of error as 2 percentage points. Data were weighted to demographic, 2024 vote and party benchmarks. More polling is on our 2026 midterm election polls page.

Why it matters

Reuters reported that control of either chamber would let Democrats constrain Trump’s legislative agenda and open investigations into his administration. The Michigan race is one of the contests that could decide whether Republicans keep their 53-47 Senate majority, Reuters reported. Our 2026 Senate races and results page lists every Senate contest.

Republicans closed on Trump’s record, tax changes and border security. Democrats closed on prices, which the Reuters/Ipsos topline shows is the top factor for many voters.

What happens next

Voting takes place Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls close in waves through the evening. Times by state are in our guide to when polls close on Election Day 2026. Election offices count votes, and news organizations make race calls. LiveNewsWorld will not report a winner until a named news organization has made a call.

Related live coverage

Follow returns on our 2026 midterm election live results page, find every guide in the US Midterm Elections 2026 hub, and get the latest Washington news on US Politics Live.

Sources