What Is Trump Doing at the Reflecting Pool on Monday?

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool at 2 p.m. ET on Monday and to join nine tele-rallies from the White House that day, according to the White House and reported by ABC News. The appearances fall one day before the 2026 midterm elections, which will determine control of the House and Senate as well as a slate of governorships.

What did the White House schedule for Trump on Monday?

The president's official calendar lists two morning tele-rallies, the first set for 11 a.m. ET, followed by afternoon remarks at the Reflecting Pool and then seven additional tele-rallies stretching into the evening, ABC News reported, citing the White House. That totals nine tele-rally appearances plus the single in-person event at the Reflecting Pool, according to the outlet's tally of the schedule. ABC News credited reporters Devin Garbitt and Nicholas Kerr with the item.

Why is Trump visiting the Reflecting Pool?

Trump told reporters in Iowa on Sunday that the Reflecting Pool was "finished," ABC News reported, referring to a renovation of the National Mall landmark. Asked why he planned to travel there Monday, the president said in part that it was "just to show how beautiful it is," according to the outlet. ABC News did not report an independent timeline or cost figure for the renovation, and no renovation authority or agency statement accompanied the remark in the available reporting, so the scope and completion status of the project beyond Trump's characterization could not be confirmed from the source material.

What are tele-rallies, and how many are planned?

The term, as used in the ABC News schedule, refers to call-in style campaign events Trump is expected to join remotely from the White House rather than travel to in person. The outlet's live updates counted nine such events spread across Monday, two before noon and seven in the afternoon and evening, alongside the single physical appearance at the Reflecting Pool. ABC News did not specify which candidates or states the tele-rallies would target, and the source material did not break down participants beyond the aggregate count.

What happened at Trump's Sunday rally in Iowa?

The Monday schedule follows a Sunday stop in Iowa, where Trump discussed the physical appearance of Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson, according to ABC News. "I knew Ashley for a long time, and she was a little bit heavier, okay? She knew the weight that was on her. Really, literally, the weight," Trump said, according to the outlet's transcript, adding that Hinson "went on a regimen" and "put herself in shape." ABC News reported the remarks came after Hinson had asked him not to raise the subject, with Trump recounting, "Now, Ashley said, 'Please, sir, don't do this.'" The same rally included Trump attacking Michigan Democratic candidate El-Sayed, the outlet reported, and continuing to raise doubts about the integrity of the elections process in his closing message to voters, though ABC News' live updates did not detail the specific claims beyond characterizing them as election doubts repeated from earlier appearances.

What remains unconfirmed about Monday's events?

ABC News' live-updates format means details could change before Trump's scheduled 2 p.m. remarks, and the outlet noted its page was "Last Updated" at 4:02 a.m. ET Sunday into Monday, ahead of the day's events. The source material did not report the content of Monday's planned remarks, nor did it name which congressional or gubernatorial races the nine tele-rallies would cover. ABC News also reported a separate Sunday development — Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens joining a press conference with a Republican candidate, Rogers, following what the outlet described as a surprise endorsement — but did not connect that event to Trump's Monday schedule. Readers seeking confirmation of turnout targets, specific battleground states on the tele-rally list, or an independent accounting of the Reflecting Pool renovation will need additional reporting beyond what ABC News has published as of its early Monday update.

For the full, continuously updated rundown of midterm developments, including additional campaign stops and candidate responses, see ABC News' live updates page.