President Donald Trump has made himself the center of his midterm campaign pitch, telling voters to “pretend” he’s on the ballot. On Monday afternoon, that message will come full circle as he delivers closing remarks at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, the site of a controversial multimillion-dollar renovation project he has touted as one of his administration’s accomplishments.

Asked Sunday why he was holding the event at the Reflecting Pool on the last day of campaigning, the president told reporters, “Just to show how beautiful it is. It’s been finished.” Trump initially announced the Reflecting Pool would be repainted in time for Independence Day. In June, he said the work was complete, but paint soon began peeling from the bottom, which the president blamed on vandals. However, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia later said damage was due to botched installation by the contractor.

Trump’s speech, slated for 2 p.m. ET, comes as Republicans head into the midterm elections facing tough headwinds. Trump’s approval rating is underwater, with MS NOW’s polling data partner FiftyPlusOne reporting a 35.6% approval average, a historically low rating for a president this close to the midterms.

As inflation persists and the war with Iran grinds on, Republican candidates down the ballot are also feeling the heat. MS NOW rates five crucial Senate races — Michigan, Maine, Ohio, Alaska and Texas — as “toss-ups.” GOP House candidates are also fighting to win races in five districts the party gerrymandered and are outspending Democrats in advertising, MS NOW recently reported.

The president has held a series of rallies in battleground and red states in recent weeks, including Alaska, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.

A senior administration official, who was granted anonymity to speak on internal matters, said the mood inside the White House is one of “resignation” as they expect to face significant losses on Election Day. This realization has prompted many officials to look at their own futures, the official said, describing some people inside the administration as “thirsty” to advance in the coming months as other officials leave and there is room to move up.

According to the source, officials are focused on signaling loyalty not just to Trump, but also to White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who also serves as homeland security adviser and is expected to have a big role in deciding any promotions over the coming months and years.

Trump and his allies have also signaled a willingness to challenge election results that are not favorable to them. The Justice Department also plans to deploy more than 1,000 federal election monitors to polling sites in every state across the country on Tuesday for the first time in recent history, sparking concerns from Democrats about potential election interference.

But the senior administration official told MS NOW it would take something “extraordinary and unanticipated” for the DOJ to challenge election results — and this official does not expect anything to rise to that level.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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