President Trump touts Reflecting Pool update as cost, delays and failures continue to mount
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President Donald Trump claimed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is 85 percent full, “really good,” and now covered by new anti-vandalism cameras, even as the project has been plagued by ballooning costs, technical failures and questions over whether vandalism was ever the real issue.
President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is about 85 percent full and appears "really good," while boasting that anti-vandalism cameras have been installed around the pool and the adjacent grass areas. The refurbishment, launched in April ahead of the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebrations, included resurfacing the pool bottom with a blue coating the president called "American flag blue."
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers framed the work as a fix for years of neglect, algae growth and water loss, calling it "another example of President Trump restoring our nation’s capital for the American people."
Visitors interviewed by Newsweek offered mixed reactions. One visitor called the water "pretty," while another said it looked like "dirty water" and that the reflection was poor. A third visitor said the pool once provided a clear reflection but now looks "dark" and "underwhelming."
The renovation has also been marked by severe cost overruns and technical problems. What began as an estimated $1.5-$2 million, one-to-two-week project has reportedly grown to roughly $16 million. Soon after refilling, the water turned green because of an algae bloom, and parts of the new coating started to peel. Federal prosecutors have suggested that installation flaws, not vandalism, caused much of the damage, prompting the dismissal of several vandalism cases.
The Reflecting Pool previously underwent a two-year reconstruction completed in 2012, which added supporting pilings and a circulation system drawing water from the nearby Tidal Basin.