Trump touts $1.8M Reflecting Pool fix as Obama-era project ‘disaster’
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President Donald Trump visited the National Mall on Thursday, driving his motorcade through the evacuated Reflecting Pool to inspect a restoration project that he said corrects a “disaster” left by the Obama administration.
Standing on the floor of the pool, the president touted a $1.8 million overhaul of the landmark, compared to the $38 million spent under former President Barack Obama on a project that Trump described as a “construction nightmare” and leaked soon after completion.
Stretching more than 600 feet between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, the Reflecting Pool is one of the most visited landmarks in the nation’s capital, attracting millions of tourists each year and serving as the backdrop for historic events and presidential inaugurations.
Trump was joined by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to review the application of a new, industrial-strength sealant. Trump explained that he personally chose the color of the new surface: “American Flag Blue.”
TRUMP TRYING TO CLEAN ‘DIRTY’ LINCOLN MEMORIAL POOL, BLAMES BIDEN FOR MAINTENANCE DELAYS
“The color was never good because it was basically a gray stone underneath,” the president told reporters. “It will now have a great color. It will last a long time and there will be no leaks; that’s guaranteed.”
Although previous estimates to repair the 2,400-foot-long pool had been as high as $355 million over a multi-year timeline, Trump said his team would complete the job in two weeks for a fraction of the cost, according to previous planning documents from the National Park Service.
The National Park Service previously oversaw a major rehabilitation of the Reflecting Pool, which was completed in 2012 at a cost of nearly $30 million and addressed structural problems and chronic seepage that had plagued the area for years.
WATCH: TRUMP REVEALS NEW COLOR WITH DISPLAY FOR NATIONAL MALL’S RENOVATION THAT REFLECTS THE POOL
President Donald Trump holds a photo of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool with the words “We Make DC Safe and Beautiful” surrounded by fencing during a health care event held in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday, April 23, 2026 in Washington, DC, U.S. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The audit was part of a broader “beautification” effort for the nation’s capital. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the Interior Department has cleared more than 1,000 graffiti sites and 82 homeless encampments in recent months under Trump’s direction in an effort to make the city “safe and beautiful.”
Construction of the new White House ballroom is seen from the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., on April 20, 2026. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
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“We have never had a president who cares this much, invests this much, or devotes this much time and attention to everything Mall related,” Burgum said.
The president also previewed several upcoming projects, including improvements to the Lincoln Memorial Undercroft and the proposed Victory Arc, but details on timelines, funding and final approvals were not immediately released.
