STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
OK. Now, President Trump looked a bit tired after barnstorming across the country, but yesterday made his final pitch to voters from the side of the reflecting pool in Washington, D.C.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Notably, it took 20 minutes into a speech that was largely about his controversial project to renovate the pool before he brought up these consequential elections.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: As you know, this is the last day before the midterm elections, the most important midterm, I believe, in our lifetime.
MARTIN: But he also seemed to recognize the odds against him.
INSKEEP: He sounds a little tired there as well. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez joins us to talk about it all. Franco, good morning.
FRANCO ORDOÑEZ, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: OK. So what was the president's closing argument?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, Trump billed this speech as his closing argument, you know, and it was really, Steve, anything but that. I mean, I can tell you that none of our reporting showed that the reflecting pool was a top issue for voters. But that's what he really largely talked about. I mean, construction improvements, rehashing debunked claims of vandalism. I mean, he did eventually get to the midterms, taking several shots against Democrats and painting their candidates as extremists. And he also boasted of securing the borders and cutting taxes. But, Steve, it was a very curious choice, considering the stakes involved.
INSKEEP: Did he acknowledge that the odds seem to be against his party today?
ORDOÑEZ: Well, I mean, he did say if a chunk of his supporters get out to the polls, they would win in a, quote, "landslide," but he also seemed to acknowledge that the odds were against that happening.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
TRUMP: For some reason, the sitting president doesn't win the midterms, but we gave this a very strong shot.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, he was almost talking in the past tense.
INSKEEP: Yeah.
ORDOÑEZ: I mean, not the kind of bombast that we usually hear from the president.
INSKEEP: So the president made an unusual choice for an unpopular president - 30 rallies in 30 days. And his message to voters was, pretend I'm on the ballot. How effective was that?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah. I mean, again, you know, the goal is to try to motivate his supporters, many of whom tend to only turn out in presidential years when he's on the ballot. And I was speaking with Ryan Williams, a Republican strategist. And he told me that he understands what Trump is trying to do. But he also raised concerns that Trump was just not offering Republicans who are in the races more political cover.
MARTIN: This is generally the time in the campaign when you make your case as to why your party should stay in power for another two years and why the other party would do a worse job than you're doing. You try to relate to people. You try to highlight issues that are important to people's pocketbooks. The Reflecting Pool, the triumphal arch, comments on various candidates' physical appearances - those aren't really things that connect with people.
INSKEEP: OK. Let's try to get the president's perspective on one other aspect of this day. Which races do you think he's going to be watching most closely?
ORDOÑEZ: Yeah, Steve, it may be, of course, several days before we see the final result, but I am sure the president and his political operation will be watching how well Republicans turn out. And some of these races where the polls will close sooner rather than later. I mean, just such as races in Ohio, where Trump visited three times, Kansas, as well as even South Carolina. And if Republicans are turning out and margins are greater than expected in some of these races, Trump is likely to breathe a little easier. But if Republicans are not turning out in states like, say, South Carolina, is closer than expected or maybe worse for Republicans, or, for that matter, Florida is closer than expected, that could really signify a tough night for the Republicans.
INSKEEP: You gave us a couple of early signs. South Carolina is a place where it's on the East Coast. The polls close early. And if you have the results there, some early results there, you may have an idea how the night's going to go. Franco, thanks so much.
ORDOÑEZ: Thank you, Steve.
INSKEEP: That's NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
