Trump tours Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool paint job
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to the Lincoln Memorial to showcase a new nearly $2 million blue coating on the Reflecting Pool, which he claims improves its previously "never good" gray stone color.
- Trump personally drove over the new coating before addressing reporters alongside Cabinet members, emphasizing the aesthetic upgrade as part of his efforts to beautify the capital.
- He also expressed dissatisfaction with the gray granite of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, proposing it be painted white, with federal agencies currently reviewing this plan.
- Trump mentioned ongoing plans to renovate the Lincoln Memorial itself but provided no details, while an underground visitors’ center at the site is set to open in June.
- Critics argue Trump is prioritizing cosmetic projects like the Reflecting Pool over pressing issues such as the cost of living, and he defended his focus by linking it to national pride and cleanliness amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
