Trump Blames Predecessors for Algae and Israel Aid Cuts Amidst Midterm Losses

The final days of the 2026 midterm campaign featured a series of unconventional moves by President Donald Trump, ranging from a focus on water quality to a sudden change in foreign policy. These actions coincided with early results showing a strong performance for Democratic candidates in several swing states.

On Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours before voting began, Trump held a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial. He used the event to discuss the $14 million renovation of the reflecting pool. Trump displayed a large photograph of the pool covered in green algae. He stated that the condition was a product of the Biden administration. He argued that previous leaders spent excessive amounts of money on maintenance. He described the algae as brutal and difficult to manage.

Polls conducted prior to the election indicated that voters were not enthusiastic about the president’s focus on renovation projects. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump viewed the beautification of Washington as a top legacy item, despite advice from aides to prioritize other issues. At the pool, Trump claimed he had kept more promises than any other administration. He stated that he had kept every single promise he made, and far more.

Trump announced on Tuesday morning that the United States would end military aid to Israel at the end of the year. He spoke by phone to Fox News during the opening of polls. He noted that the US had been providing $4 billion in aid. He said the funding would be cut off. A Quinnipiac poll from September found that nearly half of Americans believed the US was too supportive of Israel. Trump cited Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as a critic who used the funding figure effectively. He said the left used the number as a signal of unfairness. He called it a bad talking point that he did not want to address.

By Tuesday evening, Trump expressed frustration with Fox News on his Truth Social platform. He posted that Fox News polls were insulting and that the questions felt like a hit job. He claimed Fox News ratings had dropped by 27 percent because the network spent too much time covering Democrats. He stated that his own numbers were better than they had ever been. He blamed the decline in viewership on the network’s coverage of what he called the Trump Deranged Democrats.

Results began to arrive within an hour of his posts. Democrats recorded major wins in Georgia, New Hampshire, and North Carolina. The pace of Republican losses signaled a significant rebuke of the president’s administration. Trump issued a statement to address the results. He wrote that he was not on the ballot. He added that if he had been a candidate, the Republican party would have won in a landslide. He thanked the public for their attention to the matter.