Trump Is Painting the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool 'American Flag Blue'
President Trump held an impromptu press gaggle outside the White House on Tuesday to talk about his renovation projects and came away with a headline he probably expected — the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being painted a vivid shade of blue and there's now a lawsuit trying to stop it.
Trump was enthusiastic about the project.
"It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be waterproof. It's going to be reflecting again," he said, adding that the pool would be completed before July 4 — the centerpiece date of the America 250th anniversary celebrations in Washington.
He's previously described the color as "American flag blue." On Tuesday he called it "beautiful blue color, dark blue color" and took a swipe at predecessors Barack Obama and Joe Biden, claiming they spent around $200 million on the pool and got nothing to show for it.
"You know what they got out of it? A closed lake. It never opened, and when it did, it shut right away. It leaked. It was a disaster," Trump said. "I'm doing a job on the reflecting lake for a fraction of what they paid."
Over the weekend he posted what he called a "sample test" on Truth Social showing the new look, saying he had upgraded construction materials, sandblasted granite, and switched to a higher quality sealer with more reflectivity. He described it as "a much larger job than originally contemplated for purposes of Beauty."
The Lawsuit
Not everyone shares the president's enthusiasm for the makeover.
Nonprofit The Cultural Landscape Foundation and its founder Charles A. Birnbaum sued the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service over the changes, alleging the work was done without following congressional mandatory procedures. The complaint argues that painting the basin of the pool — which has served as the backdrop for some of the most significant moments in American history, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech — a shade of vivid blue fundamentally alters the landmark's historic character.
"This latest desecration of the reflecting pool is part of a pattern — epitomized most notably by the rush to destroy the East Wing of the White House — in which this Administration willfully disregards legal limits established by Congress," the complaint alleges.
The East Wing reference points to Trump's other major Washington construction project — a large fortified ballroom being built on the White House grounds, for which the East Wing was demolished. Trump addressed that project Tuesday as well, revealing the roof will serve as what he called "the greatest drone empire that you've ever seen" — both drone-proof and a drone port designed to protect Washington airspace.
The Reflecting Pool is one of the most photographed landmarks in the country and a site with deep historical weight. Whether the courts agree with the administration's approach to renovating it — or with the lawsuit's argument that proper procedures were bypassed — will likely be decided before July 4 whether Trump finishes the project or not.
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