President Donald Trump says the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is basically done. Not "done" in the sense of a contractor telling you the kitchen remodel is 90% finished while the cabinets sit in your garage. Done as in: they're going to put the water back in this week.
Speaking with reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, in a video shared on X by the Rapid Response 47 account, Trump gave the landmark a clean bill of health after a stretch of infrastructure and landscaping work.
"I think they're going to fill it up this week. The Reflecting Pool is totally complete," Trump said.
Vandalism and the 'Vandal-Proof' Upgrade
The President said vandalism had forced additional work to protect the site.
"We had vandalism there and we have it about as vandal-proof as you can get," he said. "But only sick people do that, and we have their pictures"
He also said crews swapped out the old pipes sooner than planned after the project blew past its intended July 4 opening.
"We wanted to get open for July 4th," Trump said. "And now we wanted to get rid of all of the old pipes, which we were going to do later during the winter. We did it."
The grass around the pool didn't escape unscathed either. Trump said it was damaged and had to be replaced.
"They destroyed the brand new beautiful grass at the Reflecting Pool," he said. "We put all new grass in again and this is brand new grass"
He added that workers used about "200 loads of brand new top soil" and predicted the grass "is going to be very healthy."
The Backstory: Contractor Error, Vandals and a Dropped Case
In August, Trump acknowledged "some contractor error" during the renovation but kept accusing former Olympian David "Davey" Hearn of vandalism.
Earlier that month, Trump rejected Justice Department findings that a "rushed and flawed installation process" caused the pool lining to peel, insisting the major damage came from "VANDALS."
Prosecutors had sought to drop the case against Hearn and identified Atlantic Industrial Coatings as responsible for the flawed work.
The trouble goes back further. In June, Trump said additional suspects had been arrested over alleged vandalism at the pool, including a 250-foot-long gash and corrosive chemicals in the water. In July, crews drained the pool for repairs after peeling paint and green algae emerged, delaying its planned 250th anniversary showcase.
So the pool is nearly back. Whether it stays that way is, as ever, a separate question.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by MarketDash editors.
