Campaign Strategy: Trump shifts focus to national stage for Monday address

President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon.

The White House confirmed the event hours after the president first mentioned it to reporters. Trump initially suggested the speech might happen the next day while deplaning from Air Force One for a rally in Iowa on Sunday. He told the press he wanted to use the location to show how beautiful it is, though he did not provide specific times during that initial exchange.

According to people familiar with the upcoming remarks, the address will serve as a closing argument for the midterm elections. The president is also expected to discuss his renovation projects in the capital and the reopening of the Reflecting Pool. This national address represents a shift in tactics for the final stretch of the campaign.

Prior to this announcement, Trump spent the last month holding more than 25 rallies in largely conservative areas. These events were designed to help the Republican Party overcome low approval ratings. Recent polls indicate that voters are concerned about the Iran war, high energy prices, and rising cost of living, factors that could favor Democrats on election night.

Monday's speech at the memorial will be one of the president's final opportunities to pitch his platform to prospective voters before the ballots are cast. The event is set against a backdrop of intensifying campaign activity in the days leading up to the midterms.