On November 3, Trump lashed out at Ted Lieu after the congressman targeted POTUS over his joke about renaming the Reflecting Pool. Earlier on November 2, the president jokingly floated the idea of changing the name of ‘Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool’ to ‘Trump Reflecting Pool’ during his closing argument speech ahead of the midterms on November 3.The president also added that he was only “kidding” with his renaming joke and suggested not to report it. During his speech, POTUS said:“I'm sure that Secretary Doug Burgum will have a lot of fun in announcing that. Now I'm only kidding. I'm only kidding. Please don't report it.”As the video of his joke went viral, Ted Lieu took aim at the president for his joke, emphasizing how they are focused on renaming the reflecting pool while the prices for groceries and gas are skyrocketing. Lieu said:“Gas prices skyrocketed-Diesel prices skyrocketed-Grocery prices skyrocketed. What are Trump and his Republican enablers focused on? Changing the name of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the Trump Reflecting Pool. Punish them at the ballot box. Repudiate them. Vote.”The president slammed Ted Lieu after he criticized POTUS over his alleged joke. In his Truth Social post, the president referred to Lieu as one of the “least respected” in Washington. POTUS claimed that Ted knowingly made a “defamatory” statement against him. The president wrote:“Lightweight Congressman Ted Lieu, one of the least respected in Washington, D.C., made a knowingly malicious, false, and defamatory statement that I wanted to change the name of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool”The president added that Ted was aware of his joke, yet he skipped that line because he is a “fraud.” He wrote:“Ted Lieu knows that I said it in a jocular manner, and added, immediately after, 'Don't worry, I'm only joking.' All of the gathered Reporters laughed. But 'Lightweight' Lieu, his new moniker, didn't add the line that I'm only joking because he is a FRAUD.”Lastly, POTUS also labeled Ted Lieu as a “third-rate” congressman.“He's a third-rate congressman, and always will be!”Ted Lieu responded after Trump’s postIn response, Ted referred to the president as the “lame duck.” He asked if the president was also joking about the renaming of Kennedy Center. Ted wrote:“Dear @WhiteHouse: Please thank the Lame Duck @POTUS for continuing to remind the American people about his Reflecting Pool F**BAR. Since Trump dodged the military, you may need to explain F**BAR to him. Oh, and was Trump joking about putting his name on the Kennedy Center too?”For those unaware, the president proposed the idea of renaming the Kennedy Center to the Trump-Kennedy Center. He even formed a board to rename the center last year. In May 2026, the district judge rejected the idea and called it unlawful.