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.
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.
The World War II Memorial, foreground, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial are seen from the Washington Monument, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
Tourists ride Segways near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
A sign explaining the restoration work at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is displayed on a fence surrounding the area Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
More heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a wide swath of the Southwest on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary residents in the normally arid region deal with another massive drenching.
Officials in Pagosa Springs, a southwestern Colorado town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, warned of potentially “catastrophic flooding” as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 20 feet (6.1 meters) late Sunday night.
“To put the forecast into perspective, during the devastating 1911 flood that wiped out most of what existed as the town of Pagosa at that time, the San Juan River crested at approximately 17.8 feet (5.4 meters),” the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “This is a potentially catastrophic flood event."
By sundown Sunday, the river's crest had reached about 14 feet (4.2 meters), according to Vicky Schaffer, a spokesperson for the county. Roads in and out of the town were closed and residents who weren't under evacuation orders were urged to stay home.
Communities across Arizona, meanwhile, also issued mandatory evacuations.
In the tourist destination of Sedona, Arizona, officials ordered residents near Oak Creek to leave immediately as flood waters rose and multiple people were trapped in their homes.
Nearby Yavapai County and the community of Camp Verde issued similar evacuation order s for residents living near swollen rivers and creeks.
More than 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Sedona, officials in Gila County ordered the total evacuation of Gisela, a small community of several hundred residents along Tonto Creek. The wet conditions even produced flash floods, river flooding and swift boat rescues in Tucson, some 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of Sedona.
“We are getting two or three months of rain in a span of a couple of days,” said Aaron Hardin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tucson.
Rain fell nearly nonstop Sunday in Flagstaff, Arizona, flooding local roads and overwhelming storm drains. Police and city officials closed several roads around the mountainous city.
Outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, people filled plastic bags with sand to try to prevent further flooding inside. Luke Willson said water got into the garage, the basement and underneath the church building, as well as in an office where the computers are. “The pumps are pumping, but they’re not pumping fast enough,” he said.
The latest round of soaking rains started Saturday evening and was expected to saturate the region through Monday. The weather service estimates as much as 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain could fall across the region, fueled by a series of Pacific storm systems.
The weather service issued flood warnings and watches for nearly all of Arizona and parts of southern Utah, southwestern Colorado and western New Mexico, in addition to part of southern Nevada. That includes the sparsely populated Four Corners region where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.
The weather service office for Salt Lake City said previous storms that soaked the area could contribute to excessive rain runoff during the latest downpours, especially in Washington County, Utah, and Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks.
“Flood prone areas will likely become inundated at times, and backcountry roads will likely become impassable from this excessive runoff,” a weather service statement said.
Officials in Pagosa Springs said anyone in low-lying areas along the San Juan, Rio Blanco, Navajo and Piedra rivers should head to a designated shelter at a local church.
They advised residents not to wait to leave their homes as emergency crews may be extremely limited during the worst of the storm. The highway entering town also was closed to inbound traffic, and residents were advised to avoid contact with the San Juan River after sewage was discharged into it.
Katie German, owner and chef of Bruin Coffee in Pagosa Springs, said downtown had been evacuated and that there was street flooding. German said she was most worried about the one bridge into town washing out and trucks carrying everything from food to fuel not having a way in.
Town officials had just lifted an evacuation order from flooding last week only to reimpose it Saturday night with the San Juan forecast to crest Sunday night at 21.9 feet (6.7 meters), according to Vicki Shaffer, public information officer working the floods for the Archuleta County Sheriff's Office.
“I’m worried about my business, worried about my employees, definitely worried for everybody in this town,” German said. “This town, we’re a very, very, tight community. We all help each other out.”
Officials in La Plata County, which is west of Pagosa Springs, said all public roads were closed due to the flooding.
In Sedona, longtime resident Michelle Grimm worried about her community after viewing the rushing waters of Oak Creek rising perilously close to the underside of a pedestrian bridge near the center of town.
“I went out at eight this morning and I saw the bridge and I was like, ‘Oh, we’re in trouble,’” she said as she sheltered in place in her home Sunday afternoon.
“I’ve never seen them rescuing people with helicopters out of neighborhoods. I’ve never seen neighborhoods completely submerged in water,” Grimm said. “We’re just praying that the creek doesn’t rise anymore.”
A video shared by the Sedona fire department showed powerful flood waters inundating vehicles and rushing past homes and other structures. Other videos and photos shared on social media showed people standing on a pedestrian bridge taking photos and videos as churning, brown waters rushed underneath.
By Sunday afternoon, the drenching rains had largely subsided in the Sedona area.
Officials were watching Oak Creek as water levels were expected to peak by evening, said David McAtee, spokesperson for Yavapai County, which covers part of Sedona along with other impacted communities.
No injuries or deaths had so far been reported, he said. At least 100 homes were located in the evacuation zone and nearly 20 of the homes had residents who needed emergency assistance to relocate.
Heavy rains had forced the closure of several highways across Arizona on Sunday, the state Department of Transportation reported. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said state air rescue crews were assisting with rooftop evacuations and state transportation crews were helping clear debris.
The rain was expected to taper off across Arizona as wet weather moved eastward into other parts of the country, where it could also bring significant precipitation, said Brian Hurley, a senior meteorologist with the weather service in Maryland.
“It’s a pretty vigorous system,” he said. “It’s got a lot of moisture to work with.”
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Marcelo reported from New York and Casey from Boston. Associated Press writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles also contributed to this story.
A pedestrian crosses a flooded road in Flagstaff, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)
A man uses a bottle to collect and dump rainwater from inside his car after getting stuck on a flooded street in Tucson, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Mason Kumet/Arizona Luminaria via AP)
Fr. Matt Lowry ties a bag of sand to help with flooding Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Flagstaff, Ariz. (AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)
Members of Tucson Fire Department's Technical Rescue Team rescue a woman from her car after it became stuck in a flooded wash in Tucson, Ariz., SUnday, Nov. 1, 2026. (Mason Kumet/Arizona Luminaria via AP) I
A storm drain overflows into an already flooded street in Flagstaff, Ariz., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Felicia Fonseca)
Floodwaters surround trailers at the Fun Valley Family Resort campground and RV part in South Fork, Colo., early Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (South Fork Fire Rescue via AP)
Pickup trucks are submerged along Highway 160 in South Fork, Colo., on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (South Fork Fire Rescue via AP)
