Trump says Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being coated
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump announced a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, coating it with a swimming pool surface in "American flag blue" to replace the aging granite surface he described as "leaking like a sieve."
- Trump cited a friend's complaint about the pool's filthy water as inspiration and opted for a cost-effective solution, choosing an industrial-grade pool surface for $1.5 million instead of a $301 million granite replacement.
- The project, expected to take a few weeks and be completed before the July 4th 250th anniversary celebrations, reflects Trump's preference for rapid, lower-cost renovations in Washington, D.C.
- Trump highlighted the project as an example of his business acumen, involving contractors from his real estate network, and expressed satisfaction with the new blue surface, which he initially wanted turquoise but changed to "American flag blue."
- The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is a historic site, famously associated with Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, and the renovation is part of broader changes to the capital under Trump's administration.
