Trump makes final US midterm pitch at troubled Reflecting Pool

US President Donald Trump turned his troubled renovation of Washington's Reflecting Pool into a final midterm election campaign pitch Monday, as forecasts pointed to sweeping Democratic gains that could upend the final two years of his presidency.

Polls show Democrats poised to seize the House of Representatives and within reach of the Senate in Tuesday's vote -- giving them the potential power to block Trump's legislative agenda, launch sweeping investigations of his administration, and thwart his judicial appointments.

Yet with so much at stake, the 80-year-old devoted much of his closing speech to his efforts to spruce up Washington's landmarks, rather than inflation, the Iran war and other issues driving voter discontent.

"This is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm he believe in the lifetime," Trump declared -- 26 minutes into a rambling address focused largely on his renovation projects. "This project should be a project that unites all Americans," he said of the Reflecting Pool.