<p>Donald Trump’s unrelenting focus on the ‘beautification of Washington’ and Fox News ratings did not stop the Democrats’ decisive midterm election wins</p><ul><li><p><strong>This was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. </strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/25/election-newsletter-sign-up-stakes"><strong>Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday</strong></a><strong>.</strong></p></li></ul><p>Standing at the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool on Monday afternoon, Donald Trump zeroed in on his closing message of the high-stakes midterm elections: it can take a long time to get rid of filth.</p><p>Less than 24 hours before Americans headed to the polls, the US president staged a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/02/trump-reflecting-pool-renovation-midterms">bizarre press conference</a> in which he touted his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/11/reflecting-pool-repair-company-plan-flaws">troubled $14m renovation</a> of the Washington DC landmark and blamed his predecessors for the algae that once bloomed in its water.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/04/election-week-in-trumpland-algae-space-proclamations-and-a-deflection-of-blame">Continue reading...</a>