Donald Trump expressed frustration on Election Day regarding media coverage of his "joke" about renaming the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool after himself. The former president claimed the press "wrongly took" his comment seriously, despite him stating he was "only kidding."
During a Monday appearance at a renovation site, Trump suggested the administration was "giving serious thought to changing the name to the Trump Reflecting Pool," before adding, "I’m only kidding. Please don’t report it.” Despite his plea, the Daily Mail reported on the remark.
In a post to his Truth Social platform, Trump criticized the coverage, stating, "Their dishonest, false headline states: ‘Trump delivers final midterms speech to just 60 people at the renovated Reflecting Pool and threatens a major rename.’"
He further elaborated that the event was a news conference, not a campaign speech, and that his "Final Midterms Speech" had drawn significantly larger crowds. Trump characterized the reporting as an example of how "FAKE the News is" and stated the news media is "so corrupt."
The article notes a pattern where Trump has used the "joking" defense to dismiss concerns about more serious statements, citing instances where he has discussed canceling elections or serving an unconstitutional third term.
Trump also drew criticism from Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), who posted on social media that Trump and his Republican allies were focused on renaming the Reflecting Pool instead of rising gas, diesel, and grocery prices. Trump responded on Truth Social, calling Lieu's statement "knowingly malicious, false, and defamatory" and criticizing him for not acknowledging the remark was made "in a jocular manner."
In response to Trump's criticism, Lieu humorously noted on social media that he was "tickled" the president had noticed his weight loss, referencing Trump's recent comments on men's bodies.