Trump drives across Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to inspect blue coating he's adding
PBS • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to the Lincoln Memorial to see the Reflecting Pool after it was coated in a new "American flag blue" color, a project costing nearly $2 million intended to replace the previous gray stone color.
- Trump personally drove across the newly coated pool and spoke to reporters, emphasizing that the new color was more appealing and addressing criticism over his focus on such projects amid pressing national issues.
- The president also expressed intentions to paint the Eisenhower Executive Office Building white, calling its current gray granite exterior a "really bad color," with federal agencies reviewing the proposal.
- Trump mentioned plans for improvements to the Lincoln Memorial itself but provided no details, while work continues on an underground visitors' center at the site, scheduled to open in June.
- Critics argue that Trump's attention to aesthetic projects like the Reflecting Pool and White House renovations distracts from more urgent voter concerns, especially ahead of the November elections.
