President Donald Trump has announced a renovation project for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which will be coated in a swimming pool surface tinted 'American flag blue.' The move covers up a decades-old granite surface that Trump described as 'leaking like a sieve' and too costly to replace.
Oval Office Announcement
Speaking at an Oval Office event on Thursday, the president confirmed that the coating work had already begun. Trump said he was motivated to act after a friend from Germany visited and commented on the pool's filthy, unappealing water. 'And I went over there with Secret Service in tow, and I said, isn't that a shame? That's terrible,' Trump recalled, showing reporters a photo of the ongoing work.
The reflecting pool, lined with stately elm trees between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, is one of the capital's most iconic sites. It was where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963.
A Business Approach
Trump framed the project as a demonstration of his business acumen. He claimed that plans to replace the granite were estimated to cost $301 million and take at least three years. Instead, he called a few pool contractors he knew from past real estate projects. 'I have a guy who's unbelievable at doing swimming pools up the road,' Trump said.
The president opted for a plan to clean the granite and apply a new 'industrial grade pool' surface for $1.5 million, a process expected to take just a few weeks. Trump noted the pool would be ready well before July 4, when the nation celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.
Trump brought up the project unprompted during a White House event on reducing drug prices. He initially wanted a turquoise surface 'like in the Bahamas,' but was persuaded by a contractor to choose 'American flag blue.' 'You're going to end up with a beautiful, beautiful reflecting pool,' Trump said, 'the way it's supposed to be, much better than it ever was.'
