Trump‘s MAGA Makeover Project Hit by Embarrassing New Leaks
The Daily Beast • • nation
Key Points:
- Donald Trump’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is reportedly behind schedule and facing repair issues, including bubbles and holes in the waterproofing layer and uneven application of the pool’s new “American flag blue” paint.
- The project, initially promised to cost $1.8 million and later estimated by Trump at $5-6 million, is now expected to cost $13.1 million, according to Interior Department plans to pay Atlantic Industrial Coatings.
- The contract was awarded without standard federal bidding procedures under emergency powers to meet the May 22 deadline for America’s 250th anniversary, but only 35% of the pool surface had been coated as of a recent report, with major repairs yet to begin.
- Trump initially praised the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, which had previously worked on his club pool, but later distanced himself from the company, stating he did not know or use the contractor.
- The delays and cost overruns have raised doubts about the project’s timely completion, undermining the administration’s justification for bypassing competitive bidding rules.